Micromobility: a major asset for intermodality

- - - Nearly 50% of personal mobility device owners practice intermodality when using their device*
    - 80% experience a multimodal mobility
    - 49% use their personal mobility device on routes previously travelled by car or motorcycle

In the current climate of economic recovery and sharp increase in fuel prices, the Mobiprox Observatory** is studying energy savings linked to the use of personal mobility devices. Beyond replacing daily commute by car or motorcycle, electric scooters and unicycles also have the distinctive feature of promoting intermodality over all kinds of distances.

Intermodality, multimodality: personal mobility device owners love it!

Through GPS sensors, the Mobiprox Observatory monitors and analyses the daily trips of a French panel consisting of 574 electric scooter or unicycle owners. Every month, Mobiprox surveys its panellists to better understand their mobility and expectations. Since March 2021, the Observatory has analyzed 71,179 km traveled and 16,067 rides across France.

The Observatory has focused on the topic of intermodality and the modal shift that enables micro-mobility. The data analysis highlights a significant use of intermodality among personal mobility device owners. Every month, between 43 and 50 percent of respondents practice intermodality, by bringing their vehicle in another mean of transportation, as it is very easy to handle and to transport because of its compact design.

More broadly, 80% of personal mobility device owners are multimodal and report using other means of transportation in their everyday trips, in addition to their personal mobility device: using a car (65%), public transportation system (43%) or walking (39%).

Personal mobility devices promote modal shift and energy savings

The Mobiprox Observatory closely examines the motivations and consequences of purchasing an electric scooter or unicycle. 21% of electric scooter or unicycle owners have thus renounced to purchase a motorized vehicle – car, motorcycle, or scooter – and 8% of the panelists have even parted with their car since the purchase of their electric scooter or unicycle. Nearly one out of two panellists reduces the number of trips he or she makes by car or motorcycle thanks to his or her electric scooter or unicycle.

The Mobiprox program accurately measures the energy savings made possible by modal shifts traveled daily by personal mobility device owners. On average, between april-2021 and october-2021, 16.3 KWH have been saved every month, which represents 56 days of lighting with a 12W lamp per panelist, or the emission of 3.1 kg of CO2 per panelist.

Mobiprox introduces the first CO2 calculator dedicated to intermodality

To evaluate the environmental impact of purchasing and using a personal mobility device, Mobiprox has created a CO2 calculator that makes the daily travel possible by combining several means of transportation. We can see significant CO2 emissions savings if a personal mobility device is used on a regular basis instead of a carbon mean of transportation. For instance, replacing a 10 km daily car commute with a combination of electric scooter and bus ride can save over 400 kg of CO2 per year, when this trip is made morning and evening year-round. This calculator is freely available on the Mobiprox website: https://mobiprox.fr/calculette-co2

Observatory : https://mobiprox.fr/observatoire-mobiprox/

* Intermodality is the use of multiple means of transportation during a single trip

** The Mobiprox Observatory is the first observatory of micromobility in France, it is led by the Fédération des Professionnels de la Mobilité and the association Prévention Routière.