City-scale GPS data reveals impact of spatial configuration and dedicated infrastructure on e-scooter route choice
File(s)
Published version
Author(s)
Schumann, Hans-Heinrich
Haitao, He
Meister, Adrian
Natapov, Asya
Quddus, Mohammed
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Shared e-scooter use has rapidly expanded in major cities worldwide, offering promising solutions for sustainable transport and new data sources to advance the science of cities. This study leverages a city-scale GPS dataset of 14,029 e-scooter trips recorded over a three-month period in 2021 within the Mannheim/Ludwigshafen metropolitan area in Germany. For the first time, our analysis integrates the discrete choice modelling framework with space syntax theory using such large-scale revealed preference data, uncovering new insights into the impact of spatial configuration on routing behaviour. The results highlight the significant role of spatial configuration in e-scooter routing, with space syntax metrics consistently improving model performance and suggesting that riders avoid both places that are not well-integrated on a regional and highly accessible on a local level. Results also reveal that dedicated bicycle infrastructure, including bike lanes and tracks, reduces perceived travel distance by over 51% for e-scooter riders. Additionally, riders exhibit context-dependent behaviour, favouring pedestrian spaces during busy weekdays while avoiding them at other times. These insights can guide policymakers in designing micro-mobility-friendly urban environments.
Date Issued
2025-07-07
Date Acceptance
2025-06-11
Citation
Scientific Reports, 2025, 15
ISSN
2045-2322
Publisher
Nature Portfolio
Journal / Book Title
Scientific Reports
Volume
15
Copyright Statement
© The Author(s) 2025 Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
License URL
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
24175
Date Publish Online
2025-07-07