Shared E-Scooters: A Review of Uses, Health and Environmental Impacts, and Policy Implications of a New Micro-Mobility Service

Abstract

Shared e-scooters refer to a micro-mobility service that enables the short rentals of e-scooters. The rapid growth of e-scooter sharing has sparked a heated discussion about its role in the urban mobility sector. This article presents a systematic review of the current knowledge on its uses and users, health and environmental impacts, and policy issues. The analysis is based on academic literature, identified with Google Scholar by using keywords and publication years from 2017, and relevant gray literature. Firstly, we highlight that the profiles of e-scooter renters seem to highly match the characteristics of other micro-mobility services users. Secondly, e-scooters are often associated with a high perception of risk from the public and an increasing occurrence of related road accidents. Thirdly, even if promoted as a green mobility option, the true environmental impact of shared e-scooters has only started to be investigated. Early studies point out negative impacts around their production, usage, and maintenance. Fourthly, the integration of shared e-scooters into the existing transport systems requires policy changes, both at the local and national level, including traffic regulations, safety rules, and physical infrastructure. Finally, this paper reveals the ambiguity of the term “e-scooter” and stresses the need for more research, as the future of cities is tied to the development of low-car lifestyles.

Characteristics and Risk Factors for Electric Scooter-Related Crashes and Injury Crashes among Scooter Riders: A Two-Phase Survey Study

“…In contrast, approximately 80% of e-scooter-related injuries that did not involve a motor vehicle occurred for those less than 40 years old (i.e., 41.2% for the age range of 18–39 and 35.4% for the age range of <18) [ 17 ]. Future attention to e-scooter safety may be directed to those less-advantaged communities or groups (including older riders who were typical more fragile and vulnerable), where there is a lack of access to affordable mobility, and who have greater interests in substituting public transportation with shared mobility options [ 2 , 6 , 19 ]. Primarily, the general accessibility of infrastructures such as protected bike lanes and the varying state of e-scooter legislation development could have led to potential differences in e-scooter-related crash or injury risks between the U.S. and other countries, but this expected result was not observed in this study [ 8 , 24 , 25 ].…”

“…First, the study was subject to a small sample size and a limited number of crash and injury observations (including rare crashes involving a motor vehicle), potentially restricting the generalizability of results to other rider populations. Secondly, the shared or unshared status of e-scooters was unknown, which could have modified the interpretations of the study findings within each user group [ 2 , 6 , 7 , 9 , 28 ]. Potential sources of biases in the results could be due to the limitations of the cross-sectional study design for causal inferences, participants’ recall biases (particularly regarding the categorization of riding frequencies on each infrastructure), missing responses, and other factors [ 46 , 47 ].…”

“…Electric “micromobility” services, typically characterized as adopting small-sized personal mobility devices such as bikes or scooters to travel short distances, have grown enormously across major cities over the past few years within a number of countries in North America, South America, Europe, and the Oceania region [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]. The electric scooter (i.e., e-scooter) has been recognized as one of the most popular urban transport micromobility options due to its affordability, convenience, and environmentally friendly features, and was particularly favored by many to help alleviate the “first-mile/last-mile” mobility issue [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ].…”

Congested sidewalks: The effects of the built environment on e-scooter parking compliance

“…With the proliferation of e-scooters there has been a growing body of research about these vehicles (Bozzi & Aguilera, 2021). Researchers have examined parking trends broadly.…”

97. E-scooter related facial injuries- A one year review following implementation of a citywide trial

“…2 Many cities across the world have implemented ride sharing escooter services. 3 The UK has recently commenced e-scooter ride sharing schemes as part of green initiatives which began with an initial pilot scheme in Teesside, Middlesbrough. 4 Local authorities have partnered with ride sharing companies and subsequently trials have rapidly spread with the Department of Transport (DofT) reporting that trials have commenced in 32 regions in England.…”