Data and perspectives on e-scooters use in Greece.

Abstract

The issue of micromobility has been raised suddenly in recent years and although it includes several transportation modes, in shared or private form, shared e-scooters have become the fastest growing trend. While private e-scooters have been on the market for decades, the phenomenon of the shared e-scooter systems emerged mainly due to the advances of innovative technologies. However, the main question today is how e-scooters could be integrated into the urban environment of cities in terms of environmental, economic, and social performance, especially towards providing better first/last/only-mile connectivity. The answer is not simple because their sustainability in relation to the mobility system is mainly determined by how they are used and what they replace. If an e-scooter trip replaces a motorcycle or a car trip, the environmental and health effects are positive. If it replaces a trip on foot or by bike, the situation gets worse. This paper gives an overview of e-scooters’ use in Mediterranean cities, presents some preliminary results of a relevant ongoing quantitative survey in Greece, and offers a discussion on available data, challenges, and perspectives. The rides of shared e-scooters in several Mediterranean cities have overcome the one (1) million in just 10-12 months after their availability, while private e-scooter market shows also a growing demand. Given that this new mode of transport is still in its infancy, in this paper we examine the first indications in regard to its necessity, attractiveness, safety, cost, people’s attitudes, and integration into the urban environment focusing on Mediterranean cities.