Micromobility at record high, says new report

Shared micromobility has reached a record high, with at least 172 million trips expected across 421 cities in North America in 2023, according to a new report.

Micromobility continues to grow as the industry continues to mature and gain efficiency, according to the North American Bikeshare & Scootershare Association’s fifth annual State of the Micromobility Industry Report. The number of shared micromobility riders nationwide, as well as the number of cities with micromobility systems, reached their highest annual levels yet, the report found.

“There’s no question that shared micromobility has consistently delivered results year after year,” said NABSA Executive Director Sam Herr. “Communities are increasingly seeing and embracing shared micromobility as a necessary means of transportation in a multimodal network. This is exactly what we need to achieve climate and equity goals and make our communities more sustainable in the future.”

According to the report, the total number of shared micromobility vehicles deployed nationwide fell slightly in 2023, but the total number of trips continued to grow, meaning fleets generally had more passengers per vehicle per service day. The report found that this meant higher utilization points for greater fleet efficiency and productivity. Of the passengers, 67 percent use e-bikes and 46 percent use electric or hybrid vehicles to balance their shared micromobility fleets.

In addition, 64 percent of shared micromobility trips last year were made on electronic devices, and 82 percent of North American systems include electric shared micromobility devices. Shared e-bike trips continue to grow over time, the report found, from 7 million in 2019 to nearly 40 million in 2023.

The report found that replacing car travel in North America in 2023 would offset an estimated 81 million pounds of CO2 emissions.