Bikeshare Beat is a new monthly column highlighting Capital Bikeshare ridership trends, and it’s kicking off on a high note: CaBi set all-time ridership records in October.
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How E-Scooters Can Complement Public Transit
With some strategic planning on the part of transit agencies and operators, shared e-scooters can be an important ally in the fight against car dependence. April 8, 2021, 8am PDT | Diana Ionescu |
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E-scooters have the potential for an important role in a comprehensive public transit system, writes Xiang ‘Jacob’ Yan in Greater Greater Washington. Despite their reputation as mostly recreational, research suggests that most e-scooter trips are not taken for fun but for utilitarian purposes such as work and school commuting. In the past year, for those avoiding crowded spaces like buses and trains because of COVID-19, e-scooters can be a lifeline for people with few other travel options. Washington, D.C., according to Yan, has been a pioneer in embracing e-scooters and e-bikes and developing regulations to make them a safe, accessible, and equitable travel option.
When shared e-scooters first showed up in US cities several years ago, many cities considered them “toy vehicles.” After running small pilots, cities such as San Francisco and Miami quickly banned e-scooters from their streets due to complaints of illegal parking and safety concerns. But gradually, things have changed. Some cities that once banned e-scooters have now brought these lightweight, mobile devices back. And perhaps to many people’s surprise, some cities including Denver and San Francisco even classified e-scooters as essential businesses during COVID-19.
So why such a dramatic change of attitude toward e-scooters? The most obvious reason is that e-scooters have become extremely popular. According to the National Association of City Transportation Officials, US riders took 88.5 million trips in 2019, more than double station-based bike ridership. Research suggests that most e-scooter trips are not taken for fun but for utilitarian purposes such as work and school com