E-scooters in Qatar: Public perception, adoption intentions, and implications for urban mobility policy

Abstract

Despite growing global interest in e-scooters as micromobility solutions, limited research has explored factors influencing their adoption in car-dependent, high-income contexts with extreme summer climates. This study addresses this gap through nationwide web-based survey in Qatar, where high private vehicle dependency, summer temperatures exceeding 45 °C, and limited cycling infrastructure as well as limited cycling culture create unique challenges for micromobility integration. The final sample consisted of 2736 respondents (339 e-scooter users and 2397 non-users), capturing usage patterns, demographic information, and non-users’ perceptions of public acceptance and intention to use e-scooters. Among current users, e-scooters were predominantly used for leisure and commuting, with males and notably, individuals without driving licenses using them frequently. Usage patterns differed between ownership types, with shared/rental users predominantly using e-scooters for leisure, while owned e-scooter users primarily used them for commuting. To examine non-users’ perspectives, structural equation modeling was used to assess influence of different factors on usage intention and perceived public acceptance. Findings revealed that regulatory and infrastructure support, along with social influence and preference, were the most significant predictors, while cost and service quality barriers negatively influenced usage intention. Importantly, perceived public acceptance strongly influenced personal intention to use, demonstrating that social legitimacy substantially shapes adoption even in car-oriented contexts. Sociodemographic analysis revealed that car ownership and higher income negatively predicted adoption, while non-license holders, non-Arab residents, and employed individuals showed significantly higher adoption potential. These findings offer valuable insights for policymakers and urban planners in developing targeted interventions to promote safe and sustainable integration of e-scooters. Such interventions include improved infrastructure, effective regulations, competitive pricing, enhanced service quality, and community engagement initiatives. While grounded in Qatar’s context, these findings can be generalized to urban environments globally characterized by high motorization rates, cultural preferences for private vehicles, challenging climatic conditions, and infrastructure limitations.