“It’s really clear that shared micromobility is meaningfully helping get people where they need to go, and do what they need to do in their everyday lives,” Sam Herr, executive director of the North American Bikeshare and Scootershare Association (NABSA), said during a panel discussion Tuesday presenting the 2023 Shared Micromobility State of the Industry Report, which evaluates its usage in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
Shared micromobility ridership in the United States — which makes up the lion’s share of North American ridership — increased 1.6 percent, from 127.7 million rides in 2022 to 129.8 million in 2023. Ridership in Mexico nearly doubled, from 9.8 million rides in 2022 to 16.5 million last year, according to the report. And in Canada, ridership climbed nearly 35 percent, from 19.2 million trips in 2022 to 25.9 million in 2023.
This all took place while the number of micromobility vehicles in service increased in Mexico and Canada — but declined more than 3.5 percent in the U.S., from 250,000 in 2022 to 241,000 in 2023.
The average micromobility device was put in service 2.7 times a day in 2023, an 80 percent increase from 2022, according to the report. The average trip length increased from 1.4 miles to 1.5 miles, year over year; and the trip duration increased from 14 minutes to 15 minutes by the same comparison.
All of these statistics point to a call for increased support for micromobility infrastructure, Herr said.
“Now is the time to make investments in shared micromobility to help achieve climate and equity goals by quantifying and tracking the impacts of shared micromobility. Our report year-over-year demonstrates [the] success, growth and resilience of micromobility,” she said.
Rentable bikes and scooters are often championed as partners to transit and, indeed, the statistics seem to reflect this relationship, with some 70 percent of micromobility users saying they ride the devices to connect to transit, according to NABSA rider surveys. Meanwhile, 20 percent said they used shared micromobility to connect to transit on a weekly basis.
Transit systems in cities like Los Angeles and Austin have integrated bike-share operations into their transit offerings, underscoring how central the two modes are to the urban mobility ecosystem. Partnerships like these can help keep costs down for riders as rental rates for bikes and scooters continue to climb, and help ensure micromobility’s continued existence, advocates said.
“Cities throughout North America are experimenting with ways to make micromobility affordable to the average user, and models include public ownership, private-public partnerships, and private ownership models — they’re not all solely private sector,” Elise Harmon-Freeman, program manager for communications at the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO), said via email.
NACTO’s own recent micromobility report pointed out the volatility of the private micromobility industry, and the ways public support can help ensure the continued operation and expansion of these systems.
“Unlike public transportation and systems that are owned and/or operated by public agencies, private-sector operators often balance competing requirements from shareholders, who expect profits, and the cities where they operate, who want to lower costs for residents,” Harmon-Freeman said.
Reports like the fifth annual NABSA state of the industry analysis can help make the case for increased investment — whether from public or private sources — into micromobility and the infrastructure it depends upon, Herr said.
“Systems that are most invested in are the ones that thrive,” she said.
