Exploratory Analysis of Real-Time E-Scooter Trip Data in Washington, D.C.

Abstract

The proliferation of micromobility, evolving from station-based to dockless bikeshare programs, has dramatically accelerated since 2017 with an influx of investment from the private sector to a new product, dockless e-scooter share. As an alternative to pedal bikes, e-scooters have become widespread across the U.S.A. owing to the unprecedented convenience they bring to commuters and travelers with electric-power propulsion and freedom from docking stations. In cities like Washington, D.C., e-scooter share can play an important role to support transportation sustainability and boost accessibility in less-connected communities. This study takes advantage of publicly available but not readily accessible e-scooter share data in Washington, D.C. for an initial view of the travel patterns and behaviors related to this new mode. The study adopted an innovative approach to scrape and process general bikeshare feed specification data in real time for e-scooters. Not only locational time series data, but also e-scooter share trip trajectories were generated. The trip trajectory data provide a unique opportunity to examine travel patterns at the street link level—a level of analysis that has not been reached before for e-scooter share to the authors’ knowledge. The paper first provides descriptive statistics on e-scooter share trips, followed by an exploratory analysis of trip trajectories conjoined with street link level features. Important insights on e-scooter route choice are derived. Lastly, policy and regulatory implications in relation to e-scooter facility design and safety risks are discussed.

Shared E-Scooters: A Review of Uses, Health and Environmental Impacts, and Policy Implications of a New Micro-Mobility Service

“…Nonetheless, this terminological ambiguity generated confusion in both academic and non-academic literature. For instance, Degele and colleagues [33] wrote about potential users of shared moped e-scooters in Germany and were cited in a couple of academic papers focused on standing e-scooters [34,35]. Similarly, a paper on injuries associated with e-bikes and moped scooters [36] was cited in an article focusing on the impact of standing e-scooters on pedestrian safety [37].…”

“…From a temporal perspective, emerging evidence suggests that shared e-scooters are more intensely used in the afternoon rather than the morning [35,42,43]. Moreover, some studies in North America show that average daily usage is higher on weekends and on special days such as public holidays [35,42,44,45].…”

“I’ll Take the E-Scooter Instead of My Car”—The Potential of E-Scooters as a Substitute for Car Trips in Germany

“…James et al [18] found that footpaths blocked by e-scooters are perceived as such by e-scooter riders significantly less often than by other road users (21% of e-scooter users vs. 75% of non-users). Especially in streets with high usage pressure, designated parking zones (ground markings, appropriate stands, or geo-fencing) for e-scooters can reduce these conflicts [33]. In addition, regulation of e-scooter parking, especially around PT stations, is considered to play a key role in strengthening intermodal mobility behavior [34].…”

A Novel Crowdsourcing Model for Micro-Mobility Ride-Sharing Systems

“…E-scooter share trip trajectories are provided at the street link level with a precise construction of the trajectory trip inventories [ 40 ]. The contribution of character individuals to the reduction of the heat alert through the bike-sharing system has been analysed in research, where the factors of age and gender show different behaviours.…”