Rideshare e-scooters at Brisbane's Albion train station.
(Photo credit: The University of Queensland. )
Rideshare e-scooters and e-bikes and a change in public perception could help close the gap between public transport hubs and starting locations or destinations for commuters, research has found.
A project by University of Queensland researchers, in partnership with Brisbane City Council and iMOVE, has investigated whether shared micromobility can solve a critical urban transport challenge - the 'first/last mile' barrier to public transport use.
UQ's Dr Richard Buning said many commuters report a reliance on cars because their nearest train station, bus stop or ferry stop was just a bit too far away.
"It's often this 'first or last mile' of a journey that stops commuters from using public transport," Dr Buning said.
"We wanted to find out if micromobility - lightweight vehicles like electric scooters and bicycles - could bridge that short-distance gap and get more people onto public transport."
The research project involved an 8-month trial at Albion train station on Brisbane's northside.
"Dedicated e-mobility parking hubs were introduced near the station's Park 'n' Ride facility, with a one-dollar flat rate for e-scooter or e-bike fares that started or ended there," Dr Buning said.
"We found e-scooter use rose from around 15 trips a day at the start of the trial up to 26, with most trips in peak weekday periods from 4-8pm.
"Around half of those trips were those first/last mile short distances - 1 to 4 kilometres long."
Commuter surveys showed while public awareness of shared micromobility increased, the willingness to use the devices remained low.
"More than 50 per cent of people responded that they would be "extremely unlikely" to use rideshares," Dr Buning said.
"Negative public perceptions around e-scooters and e-bikes might have hindered people's willingness to try.
"We found the strongest predictor of willingness to use the devices was prior experience."
Co-investigator Associate Professor Dorina Pojani said the surveys found the barriers to using micromobility were related to individual preferences, perceptions and attitudes.
"The most common reason people gave for not hiring e-scooters or e-bikes was a preference for their existing mode of transport, followed by just not 'seeing themselves' as users," Dr Pojani said.
"This highlights how cultural norms, comfort and self-identification can shape the adoption of micromobility.
"Concerns about safety and perceptions of public nuisance were other deterrents.
"Subsidising rideshare fares seemed to have minimal impact."
Dr Buning said reducing reliance on cars and increasing the use of public transport needs a coordinated, multi-layered approach.
"As well as investment in accessible infrastructure, policies that address perceived safety risks around road sharing will be important as will making the option more personally relevant," he said.
"This research clearly shows that micromobility can close the crucial first/last mile gap in connecting public transport to workplaces and homes and set us on the path to a more integrated and equitable transport future."
Read the project report on the UQ Business School website.
Collaboration and acknowledgements
Professor Jonathan Corcoran , Dr Wendy Pham and Mr Abolghasem Azhdari were lead authors on the study, supported by a wider team at the Micromobility Research Cluster in the UQ Business School.
The research was a collaboration between UQ, Brisbane City Council and iMOVE Australia, a national centre for transport and mobility research and development.
The project was supported by Queensland Rail, Translink and shared e-mobility providers Lime and Neuron.
