On 26 June 2025, the 8th edition of our meetup series was held. Check out the summary of our participants' exciting talks!

To begin with, Mathilde, public affairs officer at Qucit, presented Qucit's mission: operational intelligence for sustainable and efficient micromobility. To this end, the company is developing logistics optimization software for operators of shared micro-mobility systems to reduce their carbon footprint during their daily tasks.

At the meetup, we talked about inclusion and accessibility of electric scooters and shared bikes, different market trends, infrastructure, and the initiatives needed to make these systems a success. In fact, one of Qucit's objectives is to ensure that users can always find a shared bike available when they need it. This is the case in Bordeaux, for example, where Qucit is based.

In a world where cities are seeking to reduce their carbon footprint while meeting increasingly flexible mobility needs, the debate between electric scooters and shared bikes is intensifying. To better understand the importance of this debate, we first need to know why micro-mobility has become essential these days. Here are the main reasons:

A key element in the fight against global warming
Health benefits: physical exercise and mental health
Sport and fun
Accelerating cycling infrastructure and urban development
Financially accessible to all

At our latest meetup, three experts from Italy, Finland and France shared their visions, rooted in field experience, to shed light on the issues at stake in this urban dilemma by answering the question: How do you choose the model that's right for you and make it a success by encouraging the use of micromobility by end users?

Sofia Asperti, Data Analyst for the Italian Shared Mobility Observatory
Guillem Leroux, Head of Marketing and Expansion for Pony, a French operator
Noora Salmela, Project Coordinator for the city of Turku, Finland

What do they have in common? Their passion for shared micromobility.

Speaker: Sofia Asperti, Data Analyst for the Italian Shared Mobility Observatory

The mission of the Italian Shared Mobility Observatory is an initiative promoted by the Italian Ministry of the Environment and Transport and the Italian sustainable development foundation. Each year, the Observatory analyses the data shared by operators, municipalities and other players in the sector in order to understand market trends, support and assist the development of shared mobility systems and promote their use.

According to the Observatory's recent studies, the data analysed shows that shared bike systems, which have been established for just over a decade in Italy, are experiencing relatively stable growth. This is in contrast to shared electric scooter systems. This type of vehicle arrived on the market later, in 2019, and enjoyed phenomenal growth until 2022, before their numbers declined slightly. This is explained by the drop in the number of "test" e-scooter share systems (stabilisation of the market).

Sofia points out, as shown on the map above, that the majority of shared bike and scooter services are located in the cities of Northern Italy. It is notable that cities with a shared bike system will also tend to have an e-scooter share system. This phenomenon is due to the better development of public infrastructure and the more firmly rooted cycling culture in these cities.

However, the reverse is not true. Cities with shared e-scooter systems are not necessarily accompanied by bike-sharing systems. That's why shared e-scooter systems have opened up all over Italy, including the central and southern regions of the country, allowing residents to discover vehicle sharing through a mobile application for the first time.

In Italy, as in the rest of Europe, there have been many changes in shared vehicle fleets. The observation shared by Sofia concerns shared e-scooter services in particular, where the number of operators has fallen following company acquisitions (such as the acquisition of Tier by Dott, for example).

In Italy, this recent reduction in the number of shared e-scooter systems is particularly evident in the country's provincial capitals, with a total of 12 fewer systems between 2022 and 2023, reducing the number of cities with this type of system from 47 to 35.

Despite the decline in the number of shared scooter services in Italy, user demand remains high. As Sofia points out, it is far greater than demand for bicycles, which remains relatively stable. In some cases, these two services can be offered by the same operator, which will allow a more balanced redistribution of the number of journeys between shared bikes and e-scooters.

Finally, for the last three years, the Observatory has also been analysing the number of accidents, based on the number of journeys and kilometres covered. As Sofia points out, the aim of this in-depth work is to reassure some local authorities, who tend to regard electric scooters as more dangerous than shared bikes. According to the graphical data presented by the Observatory, although the number of accidents involving e-scooters is higher than those caused by bicycles, the difference is only minor.

With this data in mind, we now turn to the operator's point of view.

Speaker: Guillem Leroux, responsible for marketing and expansion at Pony, a French operator of shared scooters and bikes

For those who are not yet familiar with Pony, Pony is a shared scooter and bike operator, created in 2017 and present in around 20 French cities. Depending on the city, Pony operates either bikes, scooters or both.

Guillem observes that in the largest cities where Pony is present, such as Bordeaux or Tours, a shared bike system is in place. In medium-sized towns like Angers, Pony operates both shared e-scooters and bikes; while in smaller towns like Beauvais, the company only operates a shared e-scooter system. So how do you decide which type of vehicle to install?

According to Guillem, the market study carried out to choose the type of system for a city is based on three criteria:

The number of inhabitants in the area to be covered: 50,000 inhabitants for electric scooters, 80,000 inhabitants for shared bikes. The system needs to be profitable without the need for public or private subsidies.
Population density: the higher the density, the better.
The percentage of students: 50% of Pony's customers are aged under 25.

Guillem explains that managing a shared bike or scooter service is quite similar in terms of the challenges and day-to-day operations. Both models require the same logistics: battery changes, returns to the warehouse, territorial rebalancing of fleets, as well as preventive and corrective maintenance.

However, the difference between e-scooters and bicycles lies in the costs. Although the logistics and maintenance costs (OPEX) are equivalent, the initial investment costs (CAPEX) are higher for a bicycle than for an e-scooter.

What's special about Pony is that their vehicles are serviced in their own workshops, which are open in every town where the company is based. As far as logistics operations are concerned, Pony employs a local cyclo-logistics player who will have a perfect knowledge of the field in order to guarantee the best possible quality of service.

Which leads us to ask: what are the challenges facing an operator?

Guillem highlights three main ones:

Keeping vehicle availability at a maximum, despite seasonal variations (+40% usage during the summer season) and during events (sometimes +100% usage on a single day).
Making vehicles available in the right place at the right time, while paying attention to peak times
Ensuring a clean and tidy system in the public space: depending on the city, around 97% to 98% of vehicles are parked neatly, and Pony has to ensure that badly parked vehicles are removed in less than an hour.

Having learned about the logistical challenges that shared e-scooters and bikes represent for an operator, it's time to look at the community's point of view.

Speaker : Noora Salmela, Project Coordinator for the City of Turku, Finland

Noora is taking us to Finland to find out more about Turku's shared micro-mobility systems.

The city currently has a bike sharing system supplied and operated by Donkey Republic, with 700 mechanical bikes at 250 stations, a cargo bike system, and three free-floating e-scooter systems with a total of 6,500 vehicles operated by Dott and two other private operators. All these systems are seasonal, operating from April to the end of October due to the city's climate.

In Turku, according to the data collected by the local authority, both models are popular with the population, with a slight preference for the bicycle. In fact, 2024 was a record year for the bike-share system, with more than 425,000 journeys recorded, representing a 16% increase in usage compared with the 2023 season. As a result, bikes recorded approximately 2.8 journeys per bike per day, while shared e-scooters (all operators combined) recorded 2.1.

From the local authority's point of view, each model has its own advantages and disadvantages. Here's what Turku has to say about bicycles:

The bicycles are used a lot and users are generally satisfied with them (around 4.5/5 according to studies carried out by the city).
Satisfaction due to the development of the system: new stations and longer season
The local authority decides where to place the stations, which helps facilitate intermodality
However, the number of bicycles needs to be increased to improve the service

E-scooters:

E-scooters are used a great deal, particularly by young people.
These vehicles are mainly concentrated in the city centre and help intermodality
Cooperation between the local authority and private operators is fluid
E-scooters are poorly parked and the highway code is often not respected, which leads to a great deal of dissatisfaction among users.
The durability of equipment is a greater challenge for this type of vehicle than for bicycles.

In order to regularise the situation and ensure greater public satisfaction, the local authority has decided to introduce new legislation in the autumn. The aim of this legislation will be to guide users, introduce speed limit zones and mobility hubs to avoid disorder in the city centre.

According to Noora, this new legislation could also make it possible to perfect intermodality, with the aim of ensuring that each system lasts.

Finally, following the presentations of our 3 experts, we have taken the time to answer your questions.

Discussion

Questions to Sofia Asperti, data analyst for the Osservatorio della Sharing Mobility :

Question : In Italy, how could we encourage the use of these vehicles in the central and southern regions?

Sofia : Something that we hope to see is the fact that the sharing economy model of e-scooter sharing has brought to the city the possibility to have bikes in the future. However, this (bike share) is something that is not growing fast, because many things have to be gathered on the operational side. Often, operators prefer to only have e-scooters in certain tourist cities, for the end-users. On the other hand, it (shared micromobility) is also something that municipalities should encourage. The difference we can see between Southern and Northern Italy not only applies for bikes but also for shared mopeds and cars. So, this is something that should be encouraged more by the municipalities, as it is necessary for the economy.

Question : Do you find that users mostly stick to either bikes or scooters, or do they use both?

Sofia : Actually, we do not know because we get data aggregated about the single user. It would be interesting to know with the increasing number of operators that have more than one service.

Question : According to your expertise, what are the emerging trends of the market in terms of shared micromobility ?

Sofia : Firstly, there is a structural consolidation of shared services in Italy nowadays. They are part of the mobility offer as of now. And secondly, a thing that we see, but also hope to see more, is the integration with other modes of transport. It is a key element to let every single service grow.

Question : As we all look to improve our services and the e-scooter/biking community across Europe, what new types of data should we start collecting (data our community doesn’t yet have) that could help us optimize operations and better meet rider needs?

Sofia : From the municipality's point of view, it is very important to be aware of what happens and to have daily monitoring of how vehicles are moving in the city and all the interesting areas.

Questions to Noora Salmela, project coordinator for the city of Turku, Finland:

Question : Do the three operators find that users mostly stick to either bikes or scooters, or do they use both?

Noora : Very good question. Unfortunately, we do not have all the information from the private operators. So, I do not have their opinion on this. However, maybe after the new legislation comes into force, we will get more information from the operators, and get an idea on this.

Question : Why not subsidize the scooter share system, the same way you are doing with Donkey Republic with bikes?

Noora : That would be a good thing to think about. At the moment, we have three operators and too many e-scooters in the city center. So, maybe after the new legislation, we will see how it goes with the operators, how they find the situation and what the city thinks about this topic. But, at the moment, we only have those city bikes.

Question : What are the initiatives that a city can take to get more people into shared mobility on a daily basis?

Noora : I think improving the travel chains would be very important, also to get the e-scooters included in it. So, it is a lot about the communication between the city and the operators to think of the system as one, for public transportation, the bikes and the e-scooters. That something that will, hopefully, be more possible in the future thanks to the legislation. Communication is something that we are already doing, but should do more. And of course, the infrastructure is very important to ease the use of bikes and e-scooters.

Questions to Guillem Leroux, Head of Marketing and Expansion at Pony, a French operator of shared e-scooters and bikes:

Question : About Pony, do the people in charge of the maintenance of these vehicles need to have specific training?

Guillem : We employ bike mechanics with an initial qualification (in France, we have what is called CQP cycle) or with experience in similar jobs (bike mechanics in a shop).

Question : Vandalism and fraud are known challenges in shared mobility operations. How does Pony address these issues, and what strategies or technologies have you implemented to mitigate them?

Guillem : Vandalism is not a big challenge now. We have mitigated all the risks through our hardware strategy: no use of standard spare parts to avoid reselling and vehicles designed specifically for sharing.

Question : Is it recommended to operate both e-scooter and e-bike from the same warehouse and with the same personnel? Should the balancing points be in different places since the user profiles of both vehicles are different?

Guillem : We use the same warehouse for both vehicles and ask our mechanics to repair both. For now, we did not see a huge gap in users profiles so we have not differentiated our balancing strategy between vehicles.

Dear readers, we are delighted to have counted you among our audience and hope that this webinar has provided you with a wealth of new knowledge.

Our warmest thanks once again to our speakers: Sofia Asperti, Noora Salmela and Guillem Leroux for taking part and sharing their expertise.

See you soon for another webinar on shared micromobility!

“E-scooter share vs bike share : Understanding the challenges and choosing the right shared mobility model” - Meetup Summary