MICROMOBILITY E-scooters are likely to
continue to take hold in urban environments
E-scooter evolution Other alternatives to cars include e-scooters, which have gained traction this year. The UK Government has indicated that privately-owned e-scooters could be made legal for use on public roads at some point in 2023, but progress has been slow, and the implications of this major decision remain unclear. Ross Ringham, a consultant specialising in
micromobility, shared his thoughts on what we may see in 2023 in this burgeoning industry. “I think there are three or four sharing companies that
“In 2020, parcel delivery grew by 32% in the UK and 9% in 2021. We expect to see a similar trajectory through 2022 and 2023. This means that delivery companies will need to be innovative in how they can handle the increase in volumes and expectations to deliver faster. Microfulfilment centres, e-bikes and cargo bikes, as well as utilising high street stores for online order fulfilment are all strategies that will be pursued.”
Everyday cargo Interestingly, this adoption of cargo bikes for businesses isn’t necessarily being reflected in more rural areas, as Tristan Allen, partner at Fully Charged Silverstone, explained. “It seems to me that business owners are reluctant or
have proved to be reluctant to buy into cargo bikes. They really don’t seem to have made sense of the commercials yet. They also haven’t seen enough of them being used to be able to understand what they can do for them. “The councils are now saying, ‘here are some bikes,
we’ll lend them to people, let’s get people seeing them and we’ll demonstrate their effectiveness and then we may get some traction’. But the business community in my experience, in my part of the world where we have market towns and small conurbations, cargo bikes are really not taking off.” However, consumer purchasing of e-cargo bikes for school runs and similar day-to-day trips are likely to continue growing, particularly for those employees who can take advantage of cycle- to-work schemes, where they may find themselves being in a position of affording a pretty decent e-bike and at best, a good alternative to a motorised vehicle.
What is the future of micromobility for businesses? 34 | January 2023
have promised this year is the year they finally bring pavement detection technologies. Superpedestrian has said theirs will arrive this year, I think Lime has said the same. I believe they’ve been testing it already in London but I think it’s due to arrive this year. Bird has something as well I think, which they’ve either already been testing or are about to start doing so in the UK. So as a trend, I think we should be expecting to see something like that this year.” While this categorically is a good thing, there are of course nuances to understanding why people ride on the pavement in the first place. Is it because of a lack of safe infrastructure or a lack of education for riders? Additionally, it’s important to remember that e-scooters are currently restricted to pilot areas, including parts of London, Birmingham, and Bristol, among others. Some of these tenders are up for grabs this year but Ringham doesn’t believe we will see a change in providers, in London at least. “Do I expect to see three new companies supplying e-scooters in London? Not really. I think the three companies that are there have done a good job, and given the fragile nature of the tech sector at the moment, I don’t think there’s anyone else that could come in and do that job because it requires a huge amount of investment on behalf of those companies. There’s a lot of money involved, and at the moment, I’m not sure that the rewards are there financially because of the way it’s structured.” Perhaps in 2023, we’ll see a more unified approach to
e-bike and e-scooter sharing schemes across London and beyond, but with different councils requiring different ways of working, it may be a longer- term idea. Essentially, the biggest thing we’re likely (or hoping) to see is sustained growth in terms of the adoption of more active ways of travelling. The nuances of the what, where and how will likely depend on the consumer’s location and situation, but I think it’s safe to say there will be more bikes and scooters in their various forms on our roads. ●
www.bikebiz.com
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