Key Considerations in the Deployment of Electric Scooters
City governments must consider several key factors to integrate electric scooters as shared mobility vehicles efficiently.
Electric components have emerged as critical components of urban shared mobility in many cities. More are working on integrating the micromobility vehicle into their city’s infrastructure.
Here are a few critical elements to ponder when planning a mass deployment of e-scooters.
Public-Private Cooperation
The city government must cooperate with private transport operators to integrate electric scooters into the transportation system. Focus on placing the shared mobility station in areas that maximize their function as last-mile vehicles. The flexibility of e-scooters makes them the ideal devices to create an interconnected transport system, filling the gaps between different modes.
Public Spaces
The city needs to reallocate its public spaces, factoring the shift from conventional vehicles to micromobility alternatives. It may involve sacrificing one road lane to create a separate scooter lane. Hence, the street expands into four parts: sidewalk, bicycle lane, scooter lane, and main road.
Infrastructure Amendments
Electric scooter-dedicated parking spaces are necessary to maximize appeal. However, the authorities should not take away from pedestrian spaces. Instead, they should reallocate a portion of public parking spaces. It will also help convince car owners to switch to e-scooters.
Reinvesting Fees
The city government typically charges private operators in exchange for the right to operate shared mobility services. It may come in the form of taxes or monthly fees. The proceeds can be added to the city’s general budget. However, it is better to reinvest them into various initiatives to improve transportation infrastructure.
Data Acquisition
Operational data from shared mobility e-scooters can allow the city to identify daily, weekly, and monthly usage patterns. Moreover, the data will make identifying areas that need to be developed easier. For instance, if riders spend an abnormally long time in a specific area, it may indicate an issue like unfavorable terrain.
Tech Adoption
Authorities should take note of innovations that can be applied to their shared mobility solutions. The Flash Motors Nano Elite controller will arm electric scooters with advanced artificial intelligence (AI) technology. It will constantly gather real-time rider and terrain data to auto-tune the vehicle.
