Shared electric scooters appeared on pavements almost overnight, were banned in some cities and regulated in others, and have settled into a more modest role than the initial deployment suggested.
What went wrong at first
Too many vehicles, dumped without agreement, blocking pavements, ridden dangerously. Cities responded with caps, designated parking, speed limits and licensing, which reduced the nuisance and the fleet.
Operator economics were also poor – vehicles broke quickly, were vandalised, and cost more to maintain than they earned.
What works now
E-bikes more than scooters. Safer, more useful for longer distances, more accepted by pedestrians. Both docked and dockless models survive.
Personal ownership of e-bikes, which has grown substantially and is arguably the larger effect. A bicycle that flattens hills and makes ten kilometres easy changes who cycles.
The infrastructure question
Micromobility works where there are safe lanes and fails where riders share space with cars or pedestrians. Cities that built the lanes see usage; cities that did not see complaints.
What it replaces
Short car trips, mostly, and walks that were slightly too long. Less transit replacement than feared and less car replacement than hoped, but measurable.
The realistic view
A permanent layer of city transport for trips of a few kilometres, dependent on infrastructure, better for bikes than scooters. Not a revolution. A useful addition.