Usability of escooters in urban environments — A pilot study

While scooters, often powered by 2-stroke engines, are quite popular in the southern parts of Europe they are rather scarce in the rest of Europe. Over the last years, electric-powered two-wheelers debuted on European markets. Since this type of vehicle can considerably improve traffic, reduce shortage of parking, and cut local emissions in cities, its low distribution and propagation in Europe seems rather inconvenient. This article presents the results of an escooter pilot study conducted in Munich, Germany, in order to broaden the understanding of the low distribution and of the field of application, usage, and constraints this kind of vehicle is facing in a European city. Therefore this article gives a summary about the subject of low-powered two-wheelers. In order to analyze the gathered data, a method to minimize irregularities in completion of a trip diary is presented. Final results of this pilot study show that escooters are particularly utilizable for commuting and leisure trips and can thereby substitute up to 64% of average daily distances. Additionally, weather conditions as constraints for escooter usage are examined. Even with weather conditions prevailing in Central Europe, escooters can be used at 58% of days per year without weather adjusted gear.