Analysis of the use or non-use of e-scooters, their integration in the city of Munich (Germany) and their potential as an additional mobility system

Abstract

Since mid-June 2019, electric scooters have been permitted on German roads. Many companies offer these in the form of sharing vehicles in Germany's major cities. These justify their existence through the zero-emission alternative to cars. How these vehicles are accepted, how they are used and whether they actually contribute to the transformation of the German traffic is being analysed in this paper.An online survey in Munich shows that e-scooters mainly replace walking and public transport and despite their large presence in the city landscape they are not used often. It appears that e-scooters are perceived as a leisure/fun object and less safe than bikes. The introduction of parking spaces with integrated charging facilities could save the bad reputation of electric scooters as deduced in the study. This reputation covers the environment, safety and the cityscape. In this study is also shown how the pricing model could be traced back to the absence of first mile last mile (FMLM) using.