Exploring the Shared E-Scooter adoption behavior: A case study of Chicago, USA

Abstract

In recent years, shared E-Scooters (SES) have emerged as one of the most popular and rapidly growing micromobility modes. To better understand the role of SES in urban mobility, it is critical for policymakers and planners to explore the adoption behavior and usage frequency of Shared E-Scooters. This study jointly estimates the Shared E-Scooters' potential adoption and frequency of usage using a zero-inflated ordered probit (ZIOP) model. This approach can be interpreted as whether an individual considers E-scooters as a travel mode alternative, and if so, how frequently they use E-scooters, which also has a zero occurrence. The study uses a dataset from the City of Chicago. The parameter estimation results suggest that various socio-demographics, built environment, accessibility measures and service characteristics have adequate impacts on E-Scooter adoption and usage frequency. This study also implements the model within the POLARIS agent-based transportation system simulator to examine the potential impact of various E-Scooter deployment scenarios. Results suggest that deploying more Shared E-Scooters in the traffic network not only increases the number of E-Scooter trips, but also helps to decrease the person-miles traveled and person-hour traveled. Insights from this study would be useful for planners and policymakers to develop alternative policy strategies associated with emerging mobility.