Shared electric scooters surge, overtaking docked bikes
Electric scooters are overtaking station-based bicycles as the most popular form of shared transportation outside transit and cars.
Riders took 38.5 million trips on shared electric scooters in 2018. That eclipsed the 36.5 million trips riders took on shared, docked bicycles, according to a report released Wednesday by the National Association of City Transportation Officials.
Scooter companies are facing challenges from every direction including vandalism, theft, rider injuries, intense competition and aggressive regulations in cities across the U.S.
Yet the scooter industry persists, and venture capitalists, ride-hailing companies and traditional auto manufacturers continue to pour millions into the fledgling companies.
Companies are jockeying for strategic position in the so-called micromobility revolution, where consumers are embracing ride-hailing services, scooters, bikes and shared cars that can be hailed and paid for by smartphones.
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In this Dec. 4, 2018, photo a man rides a scooter near the White House in Washington. Electric scooters are overtaking station-based bicycles as the most popular form of shared transportation outside transit and cars. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) -
In this Dec. 5, 2018, photo a police officer directs a rider on a Skip brand electric scooter to move off the street on Capitol Hill in Washington. Scooter companies are facing challenges from every direction including vandalism, theft, rider injuries, intense competition and aggressive regulations in cities across the U.S. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) -
In this Dec. 6, 2018, photo Bird scooters are parked besides a bike sharing docking station in downtown in downtown Washington. Electric scooters are overtaking station-based bicycles as the most popular form of shared transportation outside transit and cars. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) -
In this Dec. 6, 2018, photo a Lime scooter customer uses his mobile app to lock up his scooter on the sidewalk after finishing his trip in downtown Washington. Companies are jockeying for strategic position in the so-called micromobility revolution, where consumers are embracing ride-hailing services, scooters, bikes and shared cars that can be hailed and paid for by smartphones. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) -
In this Dec. 5, 2018, photo a rider maneuvers a Lime brand electric scooter on a sidewalk past workers on Capitol Hill in Washington. Electric scooters are overtaking station-based bicycles as the most popular form of shared transportation outside transit and cars. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) -
In this Dec. 5, 2018, photo Skip brand electric scooters are left on a sidewalk on Capitol Hill in Washington. Riders took 38.5 million trips on shared electric scooters in 2018. That eclipsed the 36.5 million trips riders took on shared, docked bicycles, according to a report released Wednesday, April 17, 2019, by the National Association of City Transportation Officials.(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
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