Shared Micromobility: Questionnaire Survey Data, 2022

An, Zihao and Heinen, Eva and Mullen, Caroline and Ettema, Dick and Guan, Xiaodong and van Lierop, Dea and Comporeale, Rosalia and Hiselius, Lena and Zhao, Chunli (2025). Shared Micromobility: Questionnaire Survey Data, 2022. [Data Collection]. Colchester, Essex: UK Data Service. 10.5255/UKDA-SN-857554

Shared micromobility, that is shared bicycles and shared e-scooters, have been appearing in towns and cities across the world in recent years. It is hoped that they can contribute to improving sustainability, equity and social inclusion in urban mobility.

They could do this by providing low carbon, low pollution, and affordable travel. Shared micro-mobility can be used for making single journeys, or allowing people to get to and from public transport. Yet there are many questions about whether, or a what circumstances, shared bicycles or shared e-scooters fulfil this ambition. There are also concerns about disbenefits of some shared bicycles or shared e-scooter schemes, such as safety, conflict with pedestrians and spatial inequalities in availability of the schemes.

The CoCoMo project investigates whether or how shared bicycles or shared e-scooter schemes can be designed, or re-designed, so that they contribute to sustainability and accessibility. We have conducted research in Greater Manchester, Utrecht and Malmö, each of which has very different provision of shared micro-mobility. By investigating these three European areas, we have opportunity to understand how different factors influence social inclusion, equity and environmental sustainability.

This dataset forms part of the project and consists of a questionnaire and responses. The questionnaire asked people in the three research areas (Greater Manchester, Utrecht and Malmö) their opinions of shared micromobility services and whether or not they use these services.

Our early findings indicate that there is a difference in the acceptability of shared-e-scooters and shared bicycles. Shared bicycles have higher acceptability than shared e-scooters in each of the areas we studied. Yet the level of acceptability for both shared bicycles and shared e-scooters is also different in each area. Shared e-scooters are considered most acceptable in Greater Manchester and least acceptable in Malmö. This is interesting as they are far more widespread in Malmö. Shared bicycles are also most acceptable in Greater Manchester, but the variation in acceptability between the three areas is much less for shared bicycles than for shared e-scooters.

Further outputs will be forthcoming. In addition to contributing to knowledge about sustainability and inclusion in urban mobility, we anticipate our findings will be useful to transport planners and service providers, and to the public interested in participating in transport planning for their towns and cities.

Data description (abstract)

This data collection includes questionnaire survey data for the CoCoMo project and three versions of the questionnaire used for data collection in Greater Manchester, UK; Utrecht, the Netherlands; and Malmö, Sweden. The questionnaire surveys were conducted from July to September 2022. The surveys were restricted to residents aged 18 and over in the three study areas. The questionnaire consists of four sections, covering a range of questions on demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, stated and revealed preferences related to shared micromobility (SMM) and other forms of transport, attitudes and perceptions of SMM, and social connections. The questionnaire was provided in the native language of each respective country with an additional English version offered as an option. The questionnaire survey data includes responses from 2,058 participants.

SMM, e.g., shared bikes, shared e-scooters, and shared e-bikes, have been appearing in towns and cities across the world in recent years. It is hoped that they can contribute to improving sustainability, equity and social inclusion in urban mobility. They could do this by providing low carbon, low pollution, and affordable travel. SMM can be used for making single journeys, or allowing people to get to and from public transport. Yet there are many questions about whether, or a what circumstances, SMM fulfils this ambition. The aim of the questionnaire survey is to investigate (1) how shared micromobility (SMM), e.g., shared bikes, shared e-scooters, and shared e-bikes, are combined with existing travel modes within trips and longer-term travel patterns and what implications this has for sustainability; (2) how SMM interacts with existing forms of travel in public space and how this impacts the attractiveness and accessibility of these modes; and (3) how the travel implications of, and access to, SMM differ between geographical contexts and socio-economic groups, and what impacts this has on equity and inclusion.

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