E-Scooters as a First-Last Mile Solution

Electric scooter sharing (e-scooter sharing) has become very popular since its introduction to the U.S. in late 2017. As of April 2019, Bird and Lime - two of the largest e-scooter sharing companies - operate in more than 44 cities across the nation¹. Their introduction brought with it safety and legal concerns that have garnered much attention in the news. Along with these concerns, e-scooter sharing brings a new way to move about the city that may be a solution to common transportation problems. One of these problems is the first-last mile problem, and city officials want to know if e-scooter sharing can be used as a solution.

E-Scooters as a First-Last Mile Solution Matthew Montgomery University of Utah MCMP Contents 01 | Executive Summary 02 | Introduction 03 | Research & Data 05 | Methodology 06 | Survey Case Studies 15 | Findings 18 | Potential of E-Scooters Executive Summary This report examines the potential for e-scooter sharing as a solution to the first-last mile problem associated with public transit. It explores information collected through user surveys and shares its findings on the use of e-scooters and the potential of e-scooters as a first-last mile solution. To draw conclusions, this report uses eight e-scooter sharing surveys performed in different U.S. cities to understand who uses e-scooters, trip purposes, transportation modes replaced, and if e-scooters are being used to connect with public transit. Key findings from this report's analysis show that: • Most e-scooter users fall within the same age demographic as those most likely to use public transit. • Most e-scooter users have different trip purposes than those using public transit. • E-scooters are replacing transportation modes most commonly used to access and egress public transit stops. • Except for San Francisco, only a small portion of e-scooter riders are making first-last mile connections with transit. 1 Introduction Electric scooter sharing (e-scooter sharing) has become very popular since its introduction to the U.S. in late 2017. As of April 2019, Bird and Lime - two of the largest e-scooter sharing companies - operate in more than 44 cities across the nation¹. Their introduction brought with it safety and legal concerns that have garnered much attention in the news. Along with these concerns, e-scooter sharing brings a new way to move about the city that may be a solution to common transportation problems. One of these problems is the first-last mile problem, and city officials want to know if e-scooter sharing can be used as a solution. First/Last Mile Problem DESTINATION ORIGIN First Mile Public Transit Trip Last Mile The first-last mile problem describes the distance a transit rider must travel when accessing or egressing a transit stop. The American Public Transportation Association found that most transit users walk to or from their transit stop². The most commonly cited standard for an acceptable walking distance to transit is 400 meters or ¼ mile³. If those living further than a ¼ mile feel that their transit station is too far away, they are less likely to use public transit and may choose another transportation mode that will get them to their destination. Many U.S. cities lack the physical density needed to locate residential or employment land uses within ¼ of transit stops. This is why bridging these ¹ smartcitiesdive.com ² American Public Transportation Association, "Who Rides Public Transportation" ³ Jarrett Walker, humantransit.org first-last mile gaps has become a priority for those concerned with the success of public transit. Cities are using an array of transportation modes to bridge first-last mile gaps by creating ‘artificial density' around transit stops. Artificial density consists of using transportation to decrease the time it takes to travel to nearby places and improves accessibility to transit stops by providing potential transit riders with an alternative to walking. Dock-based bikeshare programs and ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft are examples of different transportation modes cities are using to create artificial density and make first-last mile connections. Dockless transportation modes, specifically e-scooter sharing, have become the newest transportation mode used by cities to increase accessibility to and from transit stops. Because they are so new, we are unsure if they are being used to connect with transit. Because of their recent implementation, people have needed time to use e-scooters and establish travel behaviors, and cities have needed time to collect and analyze data related to their use. A year-and-a-half after their introduction, cities and other private agencies are beginning to release e-scooter sharing data collected through pilot programs and other methods. With this data now available, we can begin to look at how e-scooter sharing is being used in cities. This report explores information collected through user surveys, examines how e-scooter sharing is being used, and its future as a solution to the first-last mile problem. 2 Research & Data Chaddick Institute Study⁴ A study conducted by the Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development at DePaul University created a multimodal travel model to analyze the potential for e-scooters to fill mobility needs in Chicago neighborhoods. At the time of the study the city of Chicago did not allow e-scooters, so researchers had to develop a model using 30,000 hypothetical trips to see how introducing e-scooters could influence travel time, cost, and convenience. These e-scooter trips were paired with walking, bicycling, bikeshare, driving, and public transit. The model designated three study areas: North, West, and South. Three different scenarios were created for each study area where a different density of e-scooters was randomly distributed. For each case study area, the researchers estimated travel times for trips at 100 sample origins to 100 sample destinations, creating 10,000 trips per study area. When the results from each study area were compared, researchers found that there were comparatively small differences between the scenarios in each case study area. Several findings from this study give insights into the mobility implications from the introduction of e-scooters into the transportation network and how they may affect first-last mile travel. Study Findings • On short-distance trips, i.e., those between 0.5 - 2 miles, e-scooters provide a new alternative to the private automobile, which is currently the dominant mode of travel in this mileage range. • Due to their cost to consumers on longer trips, e-scooters would likely not result in significant diversion from transit on longer distance routes, particularly those serving Chicago's Loop and other core transit markets. On these longer routes, scooters would tend to serve as a first- or last-mile solution, often being used to reach transit stations. • E-scooters would increase access to about 16% more jobs within 30 minutes in the Loop business district compared to those accessible by public transit and walking. The gains were seen to be largest in the South study area, where the number grows by 37%. This study highlights the potential for e-scooter sharing to be used as a solution to the first-last mile problem. The quickest way to replace walking trips greater than ¼ mile is by using e-scooter sharing. Researchers found that e-scooter sharing does not replace long transit trips, but would be a complementary way of connecting to nearby transit stops. Lastly, e-scooter sharing paired with transit significantly increases the number of destinations that can be reached over those accessed via walking and transit. ⁴ C. Scott Smith and Joseph P Schwieterman, "Evaluating the Potential Mobility" 3 E-Scooter Surveys Real-world e-scooter data was collected throughout 2018-19 by cities and private companies. Pilot programs are the primary tool used by cities to conduct this data collection. The user surveys administered under these pilot programs are designed to better understand e-scooter sharing use, perception, and to receive feedback on how to better implement and improve e-scooter sharing within their cities. Data from eight of these surveys has been released to the general public. Cities involved in this data collection include: e-scooter sharing is meeting the transportation goals of their cities. Findings are also being used to resolve public concerns and to create policy and regulations for e-scooter sharing. While most surveys results include conclusions on the impact of e-scooters in their city, there are no comprehensive studies using this survey data to examine to what extent e-scooter sharing is being used as a first-last mile solution. This report fills this gap and identifies data contained in these surveys that addresses this question. • Austin, TX (2018) - Dockless Mobility Community Survey Report • Baltimore, MD (2018-19) - Community Mobility and Dockless Survey • Denver, CO (2019) - Dockless Mobility Online Public Survey • Long Beach, CA (2018-19) E-Scooter Pilot Program Public Survey • Portland, OR (2018) - E-Scooter Pilot User Survey • Salt Lake City, UT (2018) - Shared Bicycles and Scooters Survey • San Francisco, CA (2018) - Lime Shared Scooter Use Survey • Spokane, WA (2018) - Toole Design Scooter Use Survey These surveys were created and administered independent of one another. The data presented from these surveys range from official reports and memos to raw data copied directly from the surveys. Most of the data has been analyzed by the entities who collected them and is being used to determine how well 4 Methodology This report's findings are based on responses from nearly 29,000 people in eight user surveys across the United States. The surveys are not standardized and contain a variety of questions and a mix of open and closeended responses. To perform an analysis that attempts to integrate responses across all of these surveys, I developed four basic questions relating to first-last mile connections: 1. What types of people use e-scooter sharing? In Who Rides Public Transportation, the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) describes the demographics of people who ride transit. Demographic data (age) collected from each user survey is compared with findings by APTA to determine if e-scooter riders are part of the same demographic of those who ride public transit. 2. Why do they use them? The Who Rides Public Transportation report contains travel characteristics of people who ride transit. Travel characteristic collected from each user survey is compared with findings by APTA to determine if e-scooter riders have the same travel behaviors as those who use ride public transit. the same types of transportation modes used most often by transit riders to access and egress transit stations. 4. Are people using e-scooters to make first-last mile connections? Some of the user surveys contain questions asking e-scooter riders if they use e-scooter sharing to connect with public transit, and how often do they do so. E-scooter and public transit connection data from each user survey is compared with findings by APTA to determine to what extent e-scooter sharing is being used as a solution to the first-last mile problem. Eight case studies were created for each e-scooter user survey and are included in this report. Survey data with brief descriptions of their content are presented for each question. By creating a standardized way of comparing similar data, these case studies provide an easy-to-read way of comparing data that is used in the Findings section of this report. 3. What transportation modes are they replacing? The same report on public transit demographics and travel characteristics contains information on what transportation modes people use to access and egress transit stations. Trip mode replacement data from each user survey is compared with findings by APTA to determine if e-scooters are replacing 5 SURVEY CASE STUDIES 6 Dockless Mobility Community Survey Report Austin, TX What Types of People Use E-Scooter Sharing? The survey does not contain any information on what types of people use e-scooter sharing. Why Do They Use Them? Survey respondents ranked their trip purposes by frequency. Recreation and entertainment are the most popular trip purposes. Work (60%) Recreation (96%) Entertainment (81%) Austin Transportation Department 2018 9,560 respondents What Transportation Modes Are They Replacing? The survey does not contain any information on what transportation modes are being replaced by e-scooter sharing. Are People Using E-Scooters to Make First-Last Mile Connections? Survey respondents ranked how easy it is to access transit (bus or rail stations) using e-scooter sharing. Respondents said that it is very easy (37%), and 16% said it was somewhat easy to access public transit using e-scooter sharing. Errands (70%) School (25%) Source: City of Austin Survey respondents chose which transportation modes they take in addition to their primary mode. A quarter of respondents used e-scooter sharing. It is unknown how many of these trips combined with transit. 65% Walk 46% Ride Share 36% Carpool 34% Bike 32% Transit 24% E-Scooter Share 19% Car 8% Dockless Bike Share 7% Station-Based Bike Share 3% Other Source: City of Austin 7 Community Mobility and Dockless Survey Baltimore, MD What Types of People Use E-Scooter Sharing? Survey respondents who have used either e-scooter or bike sharing chose what age range they fall under. Respondents ages 16-40 make up 69% of responses. 100 90 35% 80 BCDOT 12/21/18 - 01/20/19 5,283 respondents What Transportation Modes Are They Replacing? Survey respondents selected how their transportation use has changed since the implementation of e-scooter sharing. Respondents are walking, driving, and using taxi/uber less often. 34% Less often The same More often 70 60 21% 50 40 10% 30 20 10 0 < 24 25-40 40-54 +55 Source: City of Baltimore Walking Why Do They Use Them? Taxi/Uber Are People Using E-Scooters to Make First-Last Mile Connections? Survey respondents chose their most common reason for using e-scooter sharing. The smallest portion of responses say that they use them to connect to transit. Other Business Socializing Errands Recreation Connect to Transit Commute Survey respondents selected their most common reason for using e-scooter sharing. Socializing and commuting are the most common reasons. Driving Source: City of Baltimore 8 Dockless Mobility Online Public Survey Denver, CO Denver Public Works 1/15 - 01/25/19 2,084 respondents What Types of People Use E-Scooter Sharing? What Transportation Modes Are They Replacing? Survey respondents who have used either e-scooter or bike sharing chose what age range they fall under. Of the 79% that responded, 57% of respondents are ages 20-39. Survey respondents who have used either e-scooter or bike sharing selected how they would have travelled if an e-scooter or bike share vehicle were not available. Respondents would have walked (43%) or used ride share (22%). Auto Passenger Not Have Made Trip Bike Share Transit Personal Bike Car < 24 25-39 40-54 Ride Share +55 Walk Source: City of Denver 0% Why Do They Use Them? School Recreation Errands Transit Meetings Entertainment Work 10% 30% 15% 20% 25% 30% 40% 50% Are People Using E-Scooters to Make First-Last Mile Connections? Survey respondents selected how often they use e-scooters or bike share to connect with transit. Respondents connect with transit less than once a week (37%) or never use it to connect with transit (44%). Occasionally, but less than once a week 1-3 times a week 3-6 times a week Daily More than once a day Never Dining Out 5% 20% Source: City of Denver Survey respondents selected their top three trip types for using e-scooter sharing. Going to/from work and entertainment are the most popular trip types. 0% 10% 35% 37% 12% 4% 2% 1% 44% Source: City of Denver Source: City of Denver 9 E-Scooter Pilot Program Public Survey Long Beach, CA What Types of People Use E-Scooter Sharing? The survey does not contain any information on what types of people use e-scooter sharing. Why Do They Use Them? Survey respondents selected their most common trip purposes using e-scooter sharing. Recreation (32%) and Shopping/ Errands (31%) are the most common trip purposes. Long Beach Public Works 11/16/18 - 01/01/19 1,965 respondents Are People Using E-Scooters to Make First-Last Mile Connections? Survey respondents selected their most common trip purposes using e-scooter sharing. The smallest portion of responses said that they use them to connect with other modes. It is unknown what portion of these trips were used to connect with transit. Recreation Connect to Other Modes Commuting Shopping/Errands Source: City of Long Beach What Transportation Modes Are They Replacing? Source: City of Long Beach Bike Share Transit Bike Ride Share Drive Walk Survey respondents selected what trip modes they replace using e-scooter sharing. Walking and Driving are the most common trips replaced. 10 E-Scooter Pilot User Survey Portland, OR PBOT 07/23 - 11/20/18 4,532 respondents What Types of People Use E-Scooter Sharing? Survey respondents who live or work in Portland chose what age range they fall under. Respondents ages 20-49 make up 86% of responses. What Transportation Modes Are They Replacing? Survey respondents selected how their transportation use has changed since the implementation of e-scooter sharing. Respondents are replacing walking, driving, and ride share trips. 60% Walk 50% Car Ride Share 40% Transit 30% Not Have Made Trip Personal Bike 20% Bike share 10% 0% 16-29 30-49 50-69 +69 Source: City of Portland Why Do They Use Them? Survey respondents selected their top three trip types using e-scooter sharing. For Fun/ Recreation and Going to/from Work are the most popular trip types. Meeting Shopping/Errands Fun/Recreation Exercise Restaurant Social/Entertainment School Transit Work Source: City of Portland Carpool Other Personal E-Scooter 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% Source: City of Portland Are People Using E-Scooters to Make First-Last Mile Connections? Survey respondents chose how often they use e-scooter sharing to connect with public transit. Respondents connect with transit less than once a week (27%) or never use it to connect with transit (61%) Occasionally, but less than once a week 1-3 times a week 3-6 times a week Daily More than once a day Never 27% 8% 2% 1% 0.4% 61% Source: City of Portland When survey respondents were asked about their top three trip types using e-scooter sharing, 6% use them to connect with transit. 11 Shared Bicycles and Scooters Survey Salt Lake City, UT What Types of People Use E-Scooter Sharing? Survey respondents who have used either e-scooter or bike sharing in the last 24 hours chose what age range they fall under. Respondents ages 22-50 make up 84% of riders. Salt Lake City Transportation Division 7/30 - 10/30/18 1,468 respondents What Transportation Modes Are They Replacing? Survey respondents selected what other transportation they considered before using e-scooter or bike sharing. Respondents replace walking trips (24%) and personal car trips (23%). Walk Personal Car Ride Share Transit Personal Scooter/Bike Bike Share Bus 18-30 31-40 41-60 +61 Source: City of Salt Lake City Why Do They Use Them? Survey respondents chose why they use e-scooter or bike sharing. For Fun (26%), to Get Around Quicker (26%), and Running Errands (13%) are the most common reasons. Fun Other Source: City of Salt Lake City Are People Using E-Scooters to Make First-Last Mile Connections? Survey respondents selected why they use e-scooter or bike sharing, A small portion of users say that they use them to connect with transit (7%). Get Around Quicker Running Errands Work Entertainment Connect to Transit Other Exercise School Source: City of Salt Lake City 12 Lime Shared Scooter Use Survey San Francisco, CA What Types of People Use E-Scooter Sharing? The survey does not contain any information on what types of people use e-scooter sharing. Why Do They Use Them? Survey respondents selected why they used e-scooter sharing for their most recent trip. Commuting (55%) and Running Errands (21%) are the most common trip purposes. Recreation (10%) Other (2%) Entertainment (12%) Errands (21%) Commuting (55%) Source: Lime What Transportation Modes Are They Replacing? Survey respondents selected how they would have travelled if e-scooter or bike sharing wasn't available for their most recent trip. Walking (60%) and Ride Share (51%) are the most common trips replaced. Lime 2018 600 respondents Ride Share Walk Transit Dock-Based Bike Share Car Personal Bike Not Have Made Trip Vehicle Share Source: Lime Are People Using E-Scooters to Make First-Last Mile Connections? For their most recent e-scooter trip, survey respondents selected what additional transportation mode they used. More than half did not use an additional transportation mode and 39% used public transit. Only Lime Transit Ride Share Car Dock-Based Bike Share Personal Bike Vehicle Share Source: Lime 13 Toole Design Scooter Use Survey Spokane, WA What Types of People Use E-Scooter Sharing? Survey respondents chose what age range they fall under. Respondents ages 22-49 make up nearly 75% of those that responded. 16-21 22-39 40-64 Toole Design 08/04 - 11/20/18 3,476 respondents Are People Using E-Scooters to Make First-Last Mile Connections? One-fifth of survey respondents say they regularly use transit. The report states that there is an opportunity for e-scooter and bike sharing to be used to access transit or to connect between different transit modes. +65 Source: Toole Design Why Do They Use Them? Survey respondents selected why they rode e-scooters during a typical week. Fun (75%) and Novelty (65%) are the most common reasons. Between 21-46% of respondents say they use e-scooters to commute to work/school, run errands, or for entertainment. What Transportation Modes Are They Replacing? Survey respondents selected the transportation modes they are replacing with e-scooters. Respondents replace car trips (82%) and/or walking trips (63%) at least once a week. 14 FINDINGS 15 1. What Types of People Use E-Scooter Sharing? 2. Why Do They Use Them? If e-scooters are being used as a first-last mile solution, the people using them should be the same people who are most likely to use public transit. Most people who use e-scooter sharing are between the ages 16-50. E-scooters must be used for the same trip purposes as those using transit if they are to be used in conjunction with one another. Most e-scooter riders are using them for recreation, with 25% of surveys showing that commuting was the most popular trip type. Figure 1: Age groups of people who use e-scooters compared with those who use transit. Figure 2: Most common e-scooter trip types by city. 56 52 84% 75% 86% 48 Austin 44 Long Beach 69% 40 57% San Francisco Portland Salt Lake City Age Denver 36 Spokane Recreation Commute Baltimore Entertainment 32 28 24 20 16 Transit Riders Spokane San Francisco Salt Lake City Portland Long Beach Denver Baltimore Austin The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) publication Who Rides Public Transportation found that 79% of transit riders are between the ages 25-54. Figure 1 compares the age groups of e-scooter riders and transit riders and finds that there is a large overlap between the two. The APTA found that 49% of all transit riders use it to commute to work. When comparing trip purposes of e-scooter riders and transit users, we find that there are far fewer e-scooter riders that are commuting to work than transit riders. These results indicate that e-scooter riders and transit riders do not share the same trip purposes and it is unlikely that e-scooters are being used regularly to make first-last mile connections. These results indicate that e-scooter users fall within the same age demographic as those most likely to use transit and that e-scooters are targeting the age groups that are most likely to use them to make first-last mile connections with transit. 16 3. What Transportation Modes Are They Replacing? If e-scooters are being used as a a first-last mile solution, they must be replacing trip modes most commonly associated with accessing and egressing transit stops. In half of the e-scooter surveys, most people are replacing walking and car trips with e-scooters. Figure 3: Most common transportation modes replaced by e-scooters. 4. Are People Using E-Scooters to Make FirstLast Mile Connections? Four user surveys made this question easy to answer and asked e-scooter users if they have used e-scooter sharing to connect with public transit. Two surveys asked how often. Table 1 shows data collected from these surveys. Table 1: Connecting with transit using e-scooters. Denver Portland Salt Lake City San Francisco Have you used a dockless vehicle Less than once to connect with public transit? a week Never 9% 37% 44% 5% 27% 61% 7% 39% - Austin Baltimore Denver Long Beach Portland Salt Lake City San Francisco Spokane The APTA found that when accessing a transit stop, 69% of people walk and 11% of people drive. When departing from their end transit stop, the percentage of people who walk rises to 76% and those that drive fall to 4%. Overall, walking and driving trips are used most often to connect with transit. San Francisco is the only city that seems to be successfully using e-scooters to connect with transit. All other cities show that only a small portion of riders have ever used them to connect with transit. This is further reinforced by the infrequency of using e-scooters to connect with transit with riders in Denver (81%) and Portland (88%) reporting that they have used e-scooter sharing less than once a week or have never used e-scooter sharing to connect with transit. Additional research needs to be done to determine why San Francisco is having so much success in making first-last mile connections using e-scooters. When comparing transportation modes replaced by e-scooters to those of transit users, we find that e-scooters are replacing the same types of transportation modes transit riders use to access and egress transit stops. These results indicate that e-scooters are a good replacement for those not wanting to walk or drive to a transit stop and is a good first-last mile solution. 17 POTENTIAL OF E-SCOOTERS 18 A First-Last Mile Solution Our findings show that e-scooter sharing has a bright future. Even though they are being used very little as a first-last mile solution, we may be moving in the right direction and e-scooters may one day be a common way to access and egress public transit. The answers to two of our four questions used to analyze survey data hint at a growing movement toward the suitability of using e-scooters to connect with transit. The majority of e-scooter users fall within the same age groups as most transit users. This means that people who are most likely to use transit are similar to those who are using e-scooters. If using e-scooters to connect with transit becomes more appealing in the future, a shift from using e-scooters for recreation to using them for commuting may occur. Because more people would be using e-scooter sharing to commute, they may decide to bridge firstlast mile gaps with e-scooters and finish their commute with transit. Other similarities between e-scooter riders and transit riders are the transportation modes they use to travel what are likely short distances. The most common ways transit riders access and egress transit stops are by walking and car. User surveys show that e-scooter riders are replacing these two transportation modes most often. If e-scooters continue to gain in popularity and become more accessible, riders who desire to make first-last mile connections with public transit will have the perfect vehicle to replace the trips they are already making. Their suitability for these short trips may encourage others to connect to transit via e-scooter sharing. One thing we do know for certain about their use as a first-last mile solution is how they are being used in San Francisco, CA. People who ⁵ Reid Ewing & Robert Cervero, "Travel and the Built" ⁶ sfscooteradventures.com use e-scooters sharing here are much more likely to use them to connect with transit than in any other city included in this report's analysis. While the scope of this report's findings cannot explain why San Francisco users are behaving so differently, several inferences can be made when looking at the built environment. Ewing and Cervero's "D Variables" discuss the associations between the built environment and travel⁵. These variables explain how car and walking trips, the two modes most replaced by e-scooters and the two modes most used by transit riders to access and egress stations, are impacted by the built environment. Destination accessibility measures how easily places or opportunities can be reached and was shown to influence vehicle use the greatest. Design and Diversity are the way street networks are laid out and the number of different land uses in a given area, and both were shown to influence walking the most. Those with an understanding of San Francisco may use these variables to better explain travel behavior and why e-scooters are being used so heavily to connect with transit. A New Opportunity The popularity of using e-scooter sharing for recreation suggests that there may be an alternative market for e-scooters that does not involve transit connections. SF Scooter Adventures is a company operating in San Francisco, CA that uses e-electric scooters for traditional tours and scavenger hunt activities⁶. Scooter Power Tours is another company operating in San Antonio, TX that offers a similar service⁷. These are examples of the diverse ways e-scooter sharing ⁷ scooterpowertours.com 19 may be adapted to not only fit the transportation needs of cities, but the recreational needs of the tourism industry. What's Next? The intention of this report is not to determine if e-scooters work as a first-last mile solution, but to give a snapshot into how people are using them at this point in time and what the future of e-scooters may be. E-scooters are still very new and have not been fully embraced by cities or their residents. Survey feedback shows that people feel that there are not enough safe places to ride e-scooters and that e-scooters are not available where they are needed. Both discourage potential riders from using e-scooter sharing. As cities continue to plan for e-scooter sharing and as e-scooter companies refine the way they distribute and promote e-scooter sharing, changes in e-scooter use will occur. Future surveys and research are needed to record these changes and compare their findings with those in this report. This comparison will help cities and e-scooter companies understand how e-scooter use is changing and if e-scooter sharing is gaining popularity as a first-last mile solution. 20