Here in NYC, I suspect the continued growth in personal MM ownership continues to be about convenience, reliability, and a growth in safe infrastructure than it is gas prices, given low car ownership rates (for the US, at least).
Shared (active) electric micromobility is still somewhat limited in the city, as compared to DC, SF, or LA - and certainly European metros. The current NYC e-scooter pilot is currently limited to a subsection of the Bronx, and Citibike e-bikes are still hard to come by, given their wide popularity. (We need more of them!)
So I think people are more likely to have skipped (or fast-forwarded) the step of shared and gone directly to personal ownership. NYers like e-scooters because of their small storage footprint, and lower cost. E-bikes are better for the city's rough roads, but they require a bigger apartment (and fewer stairs) to own, as theft is too high to park them outdoors.
There's also a decent ecosystem of shops to get MM vehicles maintained, although they will often only work on vehicles they sold. That imbalance makes it harder for people who bought DTC to keep vehicles in working order when something eventually fails.
great piece! (and thanks for the LINK to that Seattle story about Superpedestrian's increased ridership). Maybe just as many bike share users have their own bikes, and car owners take cabs/ridehail depending on the trip, i think we are moving to a place where same will be true for scooter riders. (there are also costs to ownership not covered here, like theft, maintenance, vandalism, depreciation.)
Great article and amazing topic. I love MM and that it continues to catch on to replace short car trips - a must!
Owning is better than sharing for sure - but with ownership, the hassle of maintenance becomes real when you have your first flat, accident or battery issue. Seems to me a subscription model would be a no-brainer for any company in the space but haven't found a lot doing it - more e-bikes than e-scooters).
NYC company Beyond seems to have great reviews and happy customers for their subscription e-scooter. Don't know if that's taken off anywhere else
Excited to see Oversharing back in action.
Here in NYC, I suspect the continued growth in personal MM ownership continues to be about convenience, reliability, and a growth in safe infrastructure than it is gas prices, given low car ownership rates (for the US, at least).
Shared (active) electric micromobility is still somewhat limited in the city, as compared to DC, SF, or LA - and certainly European metros. The current NYC e-scooter pilot is currently limited to a subsection of the Bronx, and Citibike e-bikes are still hard to come by, given their wide popularity. (We need more of them!)
So I think people are more likely to have skipped (or fast-forwarded) the step of shared and gone directly to personal ownership. NYers like e-scooters because of their small storage footprint, and lower cost. E-bikes are better for the city's rough roads, but they require a bigger apartment (and fewer stairs) to own, as theft is too high to park them outdoors.
There's also a decent ecosystem of shops to get MM vehicles maintained, although they will often only work on vehicles they sold. That imbalance makes it harder for people who bought DTC to keep vehicles in working order when something eventually fails.
great piece! (and thanks for the LINK to that Seattle story about Superpedestrian's increased ridership). Maybe just as many bike share users have their own bikes, and car owners take cabs/ridehail depending on the trip, i think we are moving to a place where same will be true for scooter riders. (there are also costs to ownership not covered here, like theft, maintenance, vandalism, depreciation.)
Great article and amazing topic. I love MM and that it continues to catch on to replace short car trips - a must!
Owning is better than sharing for sure - but with ownership, the hassle of maintenance becomes real when you have your first flat, accident or battery issue. Seems to me a subscription model would be a no-brainer for any company in the space but haven't found a lot doing it - more e-bikes than e-scooters).
NYC company Beyond seems to have great reviews and happy customers for their subscription e-scooter. Don't know if that's taken off anywhere else