Micro-Mobility

How It's Developing

Micro-mobility services rely on a combination of GPS and cellular connectivity to track whichever vehicle is being rented, charging users by the minute and immobilizing the device wherever it is left at the end of its trip. [1] Users rent the electric vehicles for an initial starting fee (usually $1), plus 10 cents to 15 cents a minute to use. [2] To recharge the vehicles, companies employ teams to pick up and charge the scooters or encourage users to sign up to charge them at home and get paid in cash or riding credit. [3] In addition to electric and motorized scooters and bikes, micro-mobility services can include dockless bike-sharing programs, which have been popular in China and are starting to take popularize in the U.S. cities, with over 44,000 bikes added to programs in the United States during the last half of 2017. [4]

Often described as “floating” or “dockless,” a hallmark of the micro-mobility movement is the absence of fixed infrastructure like set station stops, vehicle docks, or permanent parking spaces. [5] Cars, trains, and buses all have fixed routes or designated starting or stopping points or locations (parking spots or garages), but micro-mobility options like bicycles, scooters, or mopeds are meant to be picked up and dropped off anywhere, based on the needs of the user. While these programs do not rely on fixed infrastructure for pick up and drop off, many note that these for-profit programs rely on publicly-funded city commons infrastructure like bike lanes and sidewalks and that they may inconvenience citizens by blocking ingress and egress and otherwise creating a social cost to the community. [6]

Micro-mobility is often seen as a solution for first mile / last mile problems in transportation – the very short distances, usually a few miles or less, to get individuals from their origin or destination to or from the nearest transportation hub. [7] First and last mile issues are often what prevent citizens from taking advantage of available public transportation. By lessening the burden of getting to or from a train station or transportation hub, micro-mobility programs might help make traditional public transportation services more popular.

The early introduction of micro-mobility services has followed a “launch-first, permit-later” deployment strategy that surprised and sometimes raised the concern of city officials. [8] This strategy of ignoring the usual avenues of city approval is not new – it has become a hallmark of technology-backed civic disruptors like Uber and Lyft. [9] In addition to the surprise of new fleets of motorized vehicles suddenly dropped on sidewalks and in parks, micro-mobility’s electric vehicles can prove particularly tricky for traditional vehicle classifications and regulations, leaving cities scrambling to regulate their operation and other requirements. Scooter provider Bird paid $300,000 in fines and other fees to settle a legal dispute with Santa Monica after the city sued it for operating without a proper license last year. [10] Nashville, San Francisco, and Indianapolis were also sites for unannounced program launches - Nashville reacted by impounding scooters parked in the public right-of-way and San Francisco banned the scooters as the city took time to develop a permit system. [11] The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) has since authorized e-scooter programs with an initial pilot that licenses providers to operate within the city. [12]

Advocates for micro-mobility services view their arrival as a boon for urban transportation. The wide availability of micro-mobility services may provide the fastest and cheapest path to lower carbon emissions, expand access to public transportation, and redesign cities for people instead of automobiles. [13] While many cities have used bike share programs for years, the micro-mobility option introduces faster and more flexible motorized vehicles that help fill the “last mile” gap for public transportation riders or those who live in transportation deserts. [14]

In addition to early services like Bird and Lime, a growing list of players are entering the micro-mobility environment, including technology-driven transportation start-ups like Lyft and Uber (JUMP scooters) and more traditional transportation companies like Ford. Lyft launched its first dockless electric scooters in September with a one-year pilot in Denver, with plans for an additional deployment of electric bikes. [15] In November 2018, Ford invested $200 million in Spin, a two-year-old electric scooter rental firm, seeking to “fill a gap in [its] mobility portfolio,” while providing “accessible and affordable transportation” in cities and on college campuses.” [16]

While many residents appreciate the arrival of micro-mobility services, they can inspire negative responses. An October 2018 class-action lawsuit filed against electric scooter-sharing companies accuses the companies of gross negligence, claiming the companies knew the scooters were dangerous and deployed them in a way that was certain to cause physical injuries. [17] The calls for communities to better allocate land and right of way lanes for these vehicles will take time – and until these investments are made, there will be concerns for the safety of riders and pedestrians. There is also concern over the vehicles’ limited use to people with disabilities (who are already generally underserved by transportation options) and the credit card, driver’s license, and smartphone requirements for accessing vehicles that can drastically limit access for people with low incomes. [18] In addition to access concerns, disability advocates have expressed concern that users will leave motorized vehicles strewn across wheelchair ramps, in doorways, and across sidewalks and other walkways that need to be kept clear for pedestrians. [19] Finally, some people object to e-scooters on political and symbolic grounds, claiming that they represent everything that is wrong with tech disruption, that they are elitist, or that they represent the gentrification of cities and neighborhoods. [20] The contentious response to the micro-mobility movement can lead some citizens to vandalize and deface vehicles. [21]

Why It Matters

As institutions in the built infrastructure of their campus or communities, library leaders will have an interest in how users find their ways to our physical buildings. Libraries may need to plan for patrons arriving on electric scooters or bikes or may be interested in how these services make it easier for users to access various branches or locations.

Micro-mobility vehicles may become important parts of larger smart city movements. The vehicles transmit their location every few seconds using built-in GPS chips, 3G wireless connections, and solar power and many providers are now partnering with cities to share data about usage, start and end points for trips, and time spent per trip. [22] While this information might provide city planners with greater insight into the needs of residents (new bike paths, protected bike lanes, etc.), it also raises privacy concerns that data could be hacked and anonymized information revealed.

Micro-mobility providers are increasingly leveraging strategies that blur a public-private line. Micro-mobility services could become a drain on already revenue-strapped cities or communities and the demand they place on infrastructure could divert funds away from libraries or other publicly-funded institutions. While some of the private companies behind these services are pledging to help cities, they might not provide enough support. Electric scooter company Bird announced a Global Safety Advisory Board composed of transportation and safety experts as well as government officials and private citizens to “create, advise, and implement global programs, campaigns, and products to improve the safety of those riding Birds and other e-scooters” and it pledged to establish a dedicated fund to expand transit infrastructure in the cities where it operates, setting aside $1 per day from each scooter in operation to help cities build new protected bike lanes, as well as maintain existing ones by repainting and repairing them. [23]

The language of micro-mobility advocates often overlaps with traditional library values, including a focus on equity (affordable transportation options, including for communities that have historically been underserved) and sustainability (decoupling people’s right to mobility from car ownership and resulting pollution and negative environmental effects). [24] As part of a broader movement toward “sharing,” micro-mobility could be another way for communities to think more collaboratively and in terms of shared use services. But it is important to recognize how these services are traditionally for-fee and for-profit rather than community-owned and governed.