Shared e-scooters as a last-mile transit solution? Travel behavior insights from Los Angeles and Washington D.C

Shared e-scooters are quickly emerging in the U.S., presenting potential to enhance public transit by serving as a last-mile feeder mode. However, much is unknown about user preferences and travel behavior regarding escooter and transit integration. This study addresses this knowledge gap by conducting a travel behavior survey in Washington D.C. and Los Angeles, California, both early adopters of dockless micromobility. We find that the last-mile problem deters transit use for about 70% of respondents, among whom over 60% have considered escooters for last-mile transit connections. However, this intention frequently did not translate into actual use due to a variety of barriers. We further developed ordinal and binary logit models to examine factors shaping intention and actual use of shared e-scooters as a last-mile solution. Results suggest the outcomes of interest are positively associated with transit use frequency and safety rating of e-scooter riding. Somewhat surprisingly, household income is not a significant variable in all models. Women and older adults are less likely to consider using e-scooters as a last-mile feeder mode. People of color and individuals without a college degree who ride escooters have a greater percentage of their shared e-scooter trips made to connect with transit compared to White people and those with a college degree. These findings contribute to the understanding of equity in shared micromobility. Finally, to promote transit and micromobility integration, policymakers may introduce bundled fares, integrated payment, promote e-scooter safety, increase e-scooters availability at transit stops, and improve bike lane infrastructure connecting to transit.