Nick Salkeld, COO of MHC Mobility, looks at how the implementation of more mobility options will help us reach our net zero target. By moving from a TCO to a TCM approach, governments and businesses will scale emissions faster, with mobility options helping improve the air quality within cities.

Nick Salkeld, COO of MHC Mobility Europe

Micro-mobility – defined as transport methods involving lightweight vehicles such as bicycles or scooters, especially electric ones or ones borrowed as part of a self-service scheme – has risen in popularity in recent years across many European cities.

The pandemic, combined with the climate crisis, has forced everyone to reimagine the way in which we travel. We now understand that not every trip requires four wheels, and that whilst the electrification of cars will play an important role in meeting our net-zero targets, there are many alternative and convenient mobility options that use less energy. In some locations – particularly urban ones – micro-mobility is becoming an essential part of getting around.

What are the current trends?

In the face of multiple lockdowns and a subsequent increase in home working, micro-mobility has become a promising mobility solution. In fact, the pandemic has actually forced some cities to pivot away from traditional transportation to contain the virus; for example, Milan promoted the use of e-scooters and bicycles as an alternative to mass transit to ensure people were travelling outside.

Some of these solutions are now becoming viable long-term solutions to wider issues, as governments begin to seriously consider planning and investment in micro-mobility in response to net-zero targets.

Such investments are even being made in cities where micro-mobility solutions such as e-scooters have previously been banned, often due to safety concerns. Cities like Berlin are re-introducing these modes of transport and are seeing extremely high usage. Such popularity is forcing cities to address grey areas, such as how to classify them and where users can ride them. In countries such as Germany, e-scooters are now classified as ‘miniature electric vehicles’ and can be used in dedicated lanes, bike paths or roads if dedicated paths or lanes are unavailable. With these clarifications, micro-mobility can become more accessible to users across Europe, further reducing reliance on cars and helping improve air quality and decrease congestion on roads.

How is micro-mobility currently being used?

With more European governments supporting micro-mobility options, consumer use has soared. Cities such as Amsterdam have led the way; a model born out of the 1973 oil crisis forced the government to invest in 22,000 miles of cycling paths, encouraging Dutch citizens to adopt a new, greener lifestyle. Now, Amsterdam is famous for its biking, and as new micro-mobility offerings are created, uptake is quick as the infrastructure already exists. In other European cities, such as Krakow, e-bikes are also gaining popularity as they are cheaper and offer longer range and better storage than e-scooters. That being said, e-scooters are becoming widely available in many places, and we have seen in larger cities within Germany and Poland that there has been high uptake. The creation of dedicated e-scooter lanes and paths makes them an even more convenient method of transport that is often much quicker than sitting in rush hour traffic.

Consumers are not the only ones who have realised the convenient and speedy benefits of micro-mobility. As more people than ever have turned to online shopping in the post-pandemic era, micro-mobility has become a go-to option for last-mile delivery, be that for food or other items. Options such as e-scooters and cargo bikes are increasingly being used in that final leg of delivery between the sorting office and the consumer’s doorstep as they allow for speedy deliveries.

What are the barriers to adoption?

Whilst micro-mobility has gained popularity in a lot of European cities; it isn’t a solution that works everywhere. This is particularly the case in rural areas where towns and villages are located miles apart. Micro-mobility options are simply not suited to these longer distances, and traditional four-wheeled vehicles remain the most efficient mobility option for citizens.

In rural towns where micro-mobility may be present, uptake is often slower due to the lack of infrastructure. For micro-mobility to work in these areas, investment in infrastructure and planning needs to become a priority. This means creating dedicated micro-mobility lanes and paths and installing docking stations to ensure that micro-mobility can become a viable and convenient solution. If we fail to invest, we’re going to have disparities between what we can offer people and there will be significant differences between rural and urban locations in the transition to net-zero.

It’s not just rural areas where micro-mobility can be an unsuitable option. In certain European cities, location-specific barriers have reduced accessibility to micro-mobility solutions. Take Prague, for example; the historic capital of the Czech Republic is renowned for its old architecture, narrow roads and steep hills, all of which make for a far from ideal climate for micro-mobility. Its steep hills do not accommodate e-scooters and e-bikes, and its old buildings and narrow streets restrict the ability to implement new infrastructure or dedicated lanes for micro-mobility options. In cities like this, we need to be aware that micro-mobility is not always a plausible solution.

What’s next for micro-mobility?

A one-size fits all approach to mobility will not work, so we need to be mindful of location-specific differences and tailor mobility solutions to suit different locations’ needs. Governments have and will continue to play a significant role in actively encouraging and propelling micro-mobility. Working with shared-mobility providers to help them understand transportation habits will allow cities to tailor mobility offerings to specific locations.

While micro-mobility remains relatively new, governments will also need to do their part in combining these new mobility solutions with other modes of transport to offer a full package to city-goers and assist in the transition. This is where mobility providers can also come in. At MHC Mobility, our affiliation with Mobility Mixx in the Netherlands enables us to offer apps and cards to customers that bring mobility offerings and subscriptions together in one place for citizens and employees

In locations where micro-mobility isn’t an option, we can’t give up hope or discount them from net-zero plans. There are mobility solutions that will help rural areas meet net-zero targets. We can focus efforts on encouraging EV uptake and improving charging accessibility to encourage electrification. Another important mobility solution in these areas will be investment in improving public transport networks, better connecting rural areas and encouraging citizens to ditch cars and hop on a train or bus for their transport needs.

The future of micro-mobility is exciting, as it will play a key role in the decarbonisation of many European towns and cities. At MHC Mobility, we believe governments need to continue to invest in and encourage the use of micro-mobility options, and as mobility providers, we need to better understand location specific differences and cater our offerings to suit their needs.