Portland Has the Scooter User Survey Data Everyone Wants

The city of Portland has released the survey results enabled by the Portland Bureau of Transportation's ongoing electric scooter pilot project.

1 minute read

October 23, 2018, 2:00 PM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Scooter and Bike Share

Alexander Oganezov / Shutterstock

"As the city heads into the final month of its pilot project to see how much everyone loves and/or loathes e-scooters, the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) has released some findings—namely, those gleaned from a survey sent to Portlanders who rode a Bird, Lime, or Skip e-scooter," reports Erik Henriksen.

The results of the survey are overwhelmingly supportive [pdf] of the new mode of transportation, according to Henriksen. A press release from PBOT says the survey results "suggest scooters are a popular new transit option for Portlanders and visitors alike." Still, the survey results sample a relatively small number of respondents: 5,000 respondents out of 75,000 users contacted for the survey.

More details from the study reveal a relative distaste for public transit among scooter riders, even with the benefit of the first-last mile benefit of the scooter rides. Most of survey respondent live in Northwest Portland. A very small number of respondents work or attend school in 'historically underserved neighborhoods.'

Portland isn't the first to reveal the results of a scooter user survey, though it's probably the first city. A study released in July surveyed users in ten cities and also reported the overwhelming popularity of the new mode among users.

Monday, October 22, 2018 in The Portland Mercury

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Use Code 25for25 at checkout for 25% off an annual plan!

Redlining map of Oakland and Berkeley.

Rethinking Redlining

For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.

May 15, 2025 - Alan Mallach

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

May 21, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Interior of Place Versailles mall in Montreal, Canada.

Montreal Mall to Become 6,000 Housing Units

Place Versailles will be transformed into a mixed-use complex over the next 25 years.

May 22, 2025 - CBC

Flat modern glass office tower with "County of Santa Clara" sign.

Santa Clara County Dedicates Over $28M to Affordable Housing

The county is funding over 600 new affordable housing units via revenue from a 2016 bond measure.

May 23 - San Francisco Chronicle

Aerial view of dense urban center with lines indicating smart city concept.

Why a Failed ‘Smart City’ Is Still Relevant

A Google-backed proposal to turn an underused section of Toronto waterfront into a tech hub holds relevant lessons about privacy and data.

May 23 - Governing

Pale yellow Sears kit house with red tile roof in Sylva, North Carolina.

When Sears Pioneered Modular Housing

Kit homes sold in catalogs like Sears and Montgomery Ward made homeownership affordable for midcentury Americans.

May 23 - The Daily Yonder