Would you be willing to use a micro-mobility vehicle to get to work if you could ride a bicycle, moped or electric scooter there? Respondents to the McKinsey Center for Future Mobility's Consumer Survey on Mobility Ownership in July 2021 were excited about these possibilities, with nearly 70% indicating that they would be willing to use micro-mobility vehicles.
According to these findings, an increasing number of workers could shift to smaller, greener modes of transport as pandemic restrictions ease and offices reopen. I am in line with other previous studies on micromobility, which predicted a significant recovery.
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Micromobility, a large leopard spot
In countries that have a long history of micro-mobility, such asItaly (81%) and the China (86%), people are more eager to use tiny vehicles. In the USA, only the 60% he said he would consider micromobility, perhaps because they have historically relied on personal cars or public transport there. The sight of someone moving through traffic on a moped or scooter around there is relatively rarer.
In general, however, people have preferred bicycles to electric scooters and mopeds because of greater autonomy and storage capacity.
Here too with some exceptions. For example, mopeds are particularly popular in China, where authorities do not require drivers to have a license or insurance coverage for vehicles under 25km per hour. Still, respondents in the UK and China were the most reluctant on scooters, possibly because of bans or restrictions due to safety concerns. Users in favor of micromobility in the USA, France and Germany, who are more open to scooters (also by virtue of the many ridesharing services present in the area).
The implications of this monitoring
Our survey results have implications for the players in the micro-mobility ecosystem and their prospects for success. Here is the panorama of the near future.
Shared micro-mobility providers.
Since micromobility preferences vary by region, shared mobility providers need to understand local transport habits for any city or region in which they wish to operate. Usually, suppliers first choose the cities in which they want to operate. Only later do they study local preferences to determine which modes of transport will be most popular. In certain areas they will develop multiple product lines. This growth, of course, will also increase operating expenses (more maintenance, more infrastructure, etc.).
Charging and parking operators.
This group can offer charging and parking solutions suitable for different micro-mobility modes. In addition to the growing demand for their facilities, a comprehensive approach will help cities minimize the number of vehicles parked on the streets and optimize the use of micro-mobility.
Public transport operators.
Public transport operators will be able to prepare and use dedicated space on buses or trains. This will allow them to store a variety of micro-mobility vehicles to enable point-to-point travel. This technique will help the growth of both public transport and micro-mobility businesses.
City.
Cities should choose shared micro-mobility service providers based on the company's product range and their knowledge of local mobility needs. They will be able to improve micro-mobility by building infrastructures that connect multiple modes of transport, and by designing safe mobility corridors for all types of vehicles.
As you can see, the actors (and the tasks) of this revolution are so many. If everyone plays his part, micro-mobility will be much more than the introduction of some eccentric individual means of transport. It will be society's response to the need to move quickly, well and without pollution into the world to come.
