Statistics & Trends

A note on COVID-19:

In the face of COVID-19, the way people travel has seen various changes. The pandemic will have long-term impacts on transportation choices that governmental agencies and policy makers will need to navigate carefully. Most cities have resumed micromobility services, and some launched new BikeShare programs within the past year. The following resources will continue to be helpful when considering the safety of shared bikes, e-bikes and e-scooters as a mobility option.

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With the rapid emergence of micromobility, statistics and trends on each mode of microbility is important in order to consider how to shape policies and regulations surrounding them. This segment provides information on travel behavior in the U.S., and micromobility riding patterns, trip costs, and success factors by vehicle type.

National Household Travel Survey (NHTS) - 2022: Program Updates 

Conducted by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the NHTS provides information on the travel behavior of the American public. It allows users to analyze trends in personal and household travel. The NHTS includes daily non-commercial travel by all modes, including characteristics of the people traveling, their household, and their vehicles.These NHTS related publications are now available:


The Next Generation National Household Travel Survey (NextGen NHTS) program launched the first core data survey in January 2022, which will continue for 1 year. In June 2022, FHWA released the 2020 NextGen NHTS origin-driven (OD) Data Products, which consist of an individual product for both passenger and truck. Check out the OD Data Portal and resources below:

Shared Micromobility in the U.S.: 2020-2021

Building on previous reports, NACTO’s 2020-2021 Shared Micromobility in the U.S. report encapsulates the significant changes that have occurred since 2020, and the trends that emerged within shared micromobility programs that are likely to continue into 2022 and beyond.

Overview

  • Despite a 70% decrease in travel across all modes in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, shared micromobility ridership in the U.S. nearly rebounded to pre-pandemic levels in 2021, with 112 million trips.
  • 2.5 million trips on dockless bikes 
  • 47 million trips on station-based bike share systems (pedal & e-bikes)
  • 62.5 million trips on dockless e-scooters
  • Dockless e-scooter trips nearly doubled from 2020 (33 million) to 2021 (62.5 million), making up 56% of all shared micromobility trips that year. In 2020, people took 30.5 million trips on station-based bike share systems, 24% fewer than in 2019 (40 million trips). 
  • But by 2021, ridership had rebounded to 18% above pre-pandemic levels, with 47 million trips on station-based systems.
  • Shared e-bike trips nearly doubled from 9.5 million in 2018 to 17 million in 2021.

    • Riding Patterns

    • Data from 2020 and 2021 showed a shift away from the AM rush hour and towards increased trips throughout the day. 
    • Throughout 2020, people holding monthly and annual passes took 16% fewer rides than before the pandemic, while the number of pay-as-you-go and day-pass rides increased by 54%.
    • The typical scooter user or bike share member rode for 11-15 minutes and 1-1.5 miles.
    • In the U.S., total trips across all modes fell by 70% in 2020, with people taking 81% fewer transit trips and 40% fewer trips by car.
    • More than four-fifths (86% in 2020 and 89% in 2021) of station-based bike share trips nationwide took place in just six places: the San Francisco Bay Area, Greater Boston, Chicago, Honolulu, New York City, and Washington, DC. T

    Trip Cost

    • Prices generally increased for dockless e-bike and scooter systems.
    • Trip costs for e-scooters and e-bikes have more than doubled since 2018, from an average of $3.50 in 2018 to around $7 for a similar trip in 2021.
    • E-bike surcharges in 2021 added an additional $0.10 - $0.39 per minute (plus an extra $1 unlocking fee) for bike share trips, depending on system pricing structure and rider membership status.
    • For a casual ride on a station-based e-bike, a single 1.5-mile trip can cost anywhere from $2.50 to $5.25.

    • Using ashared e-scooter for the same distance could cost between $5 and $9.

    Success Factors

    • Cities continued to move forward with service expansion into 2021, targeting previously underserved communities and strengthening their equity requirements for operators.
    • More cities issued requests-for-proposals (RFPs) and selective permits, with some cities establishing fully new regulatory mechanisms to combine bikes and e-scooters into single contracting agreements. 
    • Shared micromobility operators, partnering with city departments of transportation or local non-profit organizations, offered free or discounted passes for healthcare workers throughout 2020 and into 2021. 

Riding Together: Introducing the 2022 Lyft Multimodal Report

In the backdrop of a global pandemic, shared micromobility saw record-breaking ridership and demand in 2021, mirroring a global bike boom that has been accelerating since 2020. Lyft was proud to provide our riders with bikeshare and shared scooter service that supported broader city-led efforts to navigate the transportation challenges of COVID-19.

The second annual Lyft Multimodal Report highlights shared micromobility trends across race, gender, and socioeconomic status. The report draws on local operating data and survey responses from thousands of riders who used Lyft-operated shared micromobility systems during 2021.

2022 Shared Micromoblity State of the Industry Report

On August 10, 2023, NABSA released the fourth annual Shared Micromobility State of the Industry Report for North America. The 2021 report tracks the trends, growth, and success of shared micromobility across North America. Some key findings noted include:

  • Shared micromobility ridership returns to pre-pandemic levels with at least 157 million trips taken across North America in 2022.
  • Number of cities across North America with shared micromobility hits an all-time high with 401 cities. 
  • Shared micromobility offset approximately 74 million pounds of CO2 emissions (34 million kg) by replacing auto trips across North America in 2022.

Access the 2021 report issued in August, 2022:

Download the report - English

Download the report - Spanish 

Micromobility Landscape 

The Micromobiliy Landscape is an all-in-one database for categorizing the world of micromobility. The tool was unveiled in 2019, featuring 139 countries. The current edition features over 1,000 organizations worldwide. A new website was developed to help users better navigate the companies by primary and secondary categories. Check out this blog post for more information. 

Shared Micromobility Permitting, Process, and Participation

This working paper outlines emerging trends in how cities manage micromobility networks, including the growth of electrified devices, the selection of operators based on strategic goals, and regulations to better organize devices. It also offers cities tactics for making systems more equitable and effective, ranging from creating collaborative planning processes to investing in bike infrastructure and piloting low-speed zones for vehicle traffic.These recommendations are designed to supplement and build upon NACTO’s Guidelines for Regulating Shared Micromobility