Micromobility refers to a new transport movement that is gaining global popularity. Under this banner comes small, clean powered vehicles, such as electric bikes or scooters. The primary condition for inclusion of a mode of transport in the category is a gross vehicle weight of less than 500 kg. Such modes of transport are increasingly being used as a cheaper, greener and more flexible alternative to cars. Shared micromobility adds an additional level of convenience as riders can hop on and off vehicles whenever and wherever they need, without the need to invest in a vehicle or worry about maintenance and recharging.
One area of sustained growth in the micromobility sector is with share bike schemes. E-scooters and dockless bicycles are appearing more regularly in city bike lanes suddenly and in great numbers. in the U.S., for example, 36.5 million trips are taken on station-based bike share each year and this figure is growing.
This area is also attracting serious levels of investment. Venture capitalist have plowed over $5.7 billion into micromobility start-ups over the past four years, a new McKinsey analysis estimates. Fuelled by a growing interest from Generation Z and millennials, the global micromobility market is projected to reach around $9.8 billion by 2025.
As an example of the types of initiatives helping to bring in sustainable transport solutions to urban environments, Anadue, who specialize in performing analytics of mobility, and Freebike, a London-based shared bike scheme operator, are to partner together to improve the convenience and efficiency of shared electric bikes.
Commenting on the analytics aspect, Mike Manchip, CEO of Anadue Limited says in a statement provided to Digital Journal: “Ultimately, operators that are able to prove they are making things better, will be welcomed by local government. And operators using analytics to determine where to place their vehicles will be more profitable.”
