Micromobility charges up for 2022

The Future. Micromobility (the use of e-scooters and e-bikes) is quickly becoming a major transportation method in major cities. With both the market and rider-adoption set to explode in 2022, micromobility vehicle usage may be more directly encouraged by cities as a way to get cars off the road.

Transit transition
If you’re the type of person that rages at a pile of Lime scooters on the sidewalk, TechCrunch theorizes that 2022 is going to be even worse for you.

• Demand is speeding up. E-bike sales saw a 240% spike in growth this year. Meanwhile, cities are adopting micromobility-based infrastructure plans, and governments are looking at it as an eco-friendly way to reduce emissions, leading many countries to offer subsidies for e-bike and e-scooter purchases.
• The market is maturing. Companies like Bird and Helbiz have already gone public, and Lime is expected to do so next year. It looks like the main players are already established, and each is now shifting its focus to driving down costs, becoming more sustainable and efficient, and navigating city regulations.
• The technology is improving. Still, people do hate e-bikes and e-scooters on sidewalks, so software is being implemented that can provide warnings, like signaling when a rider is on the sidewalk or if a pedestrian is approaching.

And despite years of pushing back against companies like Lime and Bird, cities may finally embrace micromobility as a key tenet to the future of urban transportation. Cities can start using micromobility as part and parcel of their overall public transit strategy (metro card swipe for an e-bike, anyone?)

Additionally, by pushing for the inclusion of mounted cameras on micromobility vehicles, they can image cities like cars do with dashcams, which could help detect road maintenance issues. (Put that infrastructure money to work!)