Investigating the role of micromobility for first- and last-mile connections to public transport

Abstract

The integration of private and shared micromobility with existing public transport services is often presented as a valuable step to improve urban mobility systems. In this study, the combination of micromobility and active modes with public transport was examined through a survey that included a stated preference experiment. Normal error component mixed logit models were estimated to determine how commuters in County Dublin, Ireland, travel on the first- and last-mile of public transport trips. The survey results shed light on the influence of user characteristics and mobility patterns on mode choice for multimodal public transport trips including private and shared micromobility, allowing to analyse trade-offs between the different micromobility modes and active modes. The mixed logit model analysis shows that young (<35 years old) and male respondents present a strong preference for micromobility, while older and female respondents prefer walking. Overall, walking is preferred by most respondents both for the first- and the last-mile, even if the other options provide significant travel time reductions. The importance of secure parking availability at stations is also reflected in the results and shows that a seamless transition between the modes and an adequate provision of infrastructure are crucial to facilitate micromobility adoption. Age, gender, previous experience with micromobility, and interest in micromobility are found to be significant factors that influence mode choice. These results confirm a growing interest for micromobility in younger generations, while also showing that regulations and adequate infrastructure are needed to promote equitable access to these modes, with a particular focus on attracting users from more carbon-intensive modes such as private car and ride-hailing trips.