Shared e-scooters are becoming increasingly popular for short-distance travel in urban areas, offering a convenient and eco-friendly alternative to traditional transport modes. Research has demonstrated that e-scooters can also reduce congestion and carbon emissions.
Considering shared e-scooters as a public transport mode has been investigated in developed countries, but evidence of applying the same findings to a developing country like India and solely focusing on e-scooters for short-distance travel alternative is insufficient, Dr Yasir Ali of Loughborough University explains.
To address this knowledge gap, Dr Yasir Ali, Reader in Transport Modelling, investigated the factors influencing working professionals in India, who are most likely to benefit from shared e-scooter services. These workers often face unique challenges, such as rigid work hours, time-sensitive commutes, and limited flexibility in transport mode choice.
Published in Sustainable Cities and Society, the research focused on key attributes of e-scooters like top speed, price, parking, hire period, deck size, proximity to e-scooter stations, and city infrastructure.
To understand individuals’ preferences, Dr Ali designed a stated preference survey to understand e-scooter adoption behaviour.
Data was collected from working professionals from various Indian cities like Nagpur, Indore, Kolkata, and Delhi, and analysed how likely commuters were to adopt e-scooters.
The analysis revealed that both top speed and price significantly influence e-scooter adoption, with a lower top speed (20 km/h [12.5 mph]) and higher pricing (INR 5 [4.2 pence] and INR 7 [5.9 pence] per km) hindering e-scooter uptake.
Additionally, older respondents showed a greater likelihood of adopting e-scooters if dedicated cycle lanes are available.
Similarly, individuals from higher income groups in India (above INR 10 lacs [£8500] per annum) expressed a preference for mandatory parking facilities for e-scooters.
The academics behind the study hope that these insights will be useful for service operators, policymakers, and urban planners and encourage the use of e-scooters more widely.
Dr Yasir Ali, Reader in Transport Modelling at Loughborough University, said of the findings: “The future of shared e-scooters is not just about technology, but about designing services that people want to use. By aligning pricing, infrastructure, and parking with user needs, cities can unlock more sustainable travel choices. This study provides new evidence on the factors influencing shared e-scooter adoption in India, a context that has received limited research attention. Understanding these preferences is essential for designing mobility solutions that are both attractive to users and supportive of sustainable urban transport.”
The researchers added that stakeholders in the UK could also benefit from the findings, the academics explain, by implementing designated parking zones in high-demand areas to prevent cluttering of e-scooters on roads and pavements.
The findings can help policymakers, urban planners, and shared mobility operators design e-scooter services that are better aligned with users’ needs, supporting greater adoption of sustainable travel options and reducing reliance on private vehicles for short urban trips.
The full research is available here.