Bike Share, Scooters Break Ridership Record

Shared micromobility users in the United States and Canada took a record 157 million trips in 2023, according to a report from the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO). “People took 133 million trips on shared micromobility in the U.S. Trips in the U.S. increased by 16% in 2023, driven largely by the continued growth of e-bike trips on larger station-based systems.” Canadian riders took 24 million trips.

The report notes that “Despite the overwhelming popularity of these systems, many cities are grappling with the challenges of providing this essential service while facing limited financial and operational resources. A volatile private operator landscape coupled with increasing user costs threatens to limit the potential for shared micromobility to be affordable and accessible to all.”

The high cost of bike share and e-scooters compared to other public transit options is still a challenge, the report adds, with the average cost of a bike share trip costing roughly $3 for the first 30 minutes and scooters costing anywhere from $6 to $11 per trip. “At these rates, e-scooters and e-bikes are not an affordable everyday option for most people.” 

The report recommends that cities provide stable funding to ensure reliable and affordable service that complements other transit options. The report stresses the urgency of designing “durable operational models” to maintain and improve shared mobility systems for the long term.