Complement or compete? The effects of shared electric scooters on bus ridership

The rapid onset of shared electric scooters (e-scooters) has raised questions about their effects on other transportation modes, particularly sustainable modes such as transit. Existing literature concerning the impacts of e-scooters on transit ridership showed that e-scooters could both compete or complement transit. However, prior studies did not differentiate by e-scooter trip purpose. This study aims to fill this gap using Nashville, Tennessee, as a case study. The results of modeling more than 1.4 million e-scooter trips suggest that on a typical weekday, utilitarian e-scooter trips are associated with a 0.94% decrease in bus ridership. However, social e-scooter trips are associated with weekday bus ridership increases of 0.86%. The net effect of e-scooters on weekday bus ridership is estimated to be −0.08%, which is nearly zero. These findings can help inform city planners as they integrate micromobility into urban transportation systems