City-scale GPS data reveals impact of spatial configuration and dedicated infrastructure on e-scooter route choice
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 20...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-06938-2 |
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| _version_ | 1849333068007997440 |
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| author | Hans-Heinrich Schumann He Haitao Adrian Meister Asya Natapov Mohammed Quddus |
| author_facet | Hans-Heinrich Schumann He Haitao Adrian Meister Asya Natapov Mohammed Quddus |
| author_sort | Hans-Heinrich Schumann |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | 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. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-53317e4a53c44ce1b3eab97f1db840f2 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-53317e4a53c44ce1b3eab97f1db840f22025-08-20T03:46:00ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-07-0115111510.1038/s41598-025-06938-2City-scale GPS data reveals impact of spatial configuration and dedicated infrastructure on e-scooter route choiceHans-Heinrich Schumann0He Haitao1Adrian Meister2Asya Natapov3Mohammed Quddus4School of Architecture, Building and Civil Engineering, Loughborough UniversitySchool of Architecture, Building and Civil Engineering, Loughborough UniversityInstitute for Transport Planning and Systems (IVT), ETH ZurichSchool of Architecture, Building and Civil Engineering, Loughborough UniversityCentre for Transport Engineering and Modelling, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Imperial College LondonAbstract 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.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-06938-2 |
| spellingShingle | Hans-Heinrich Schumann He Haitao Adrian Meister Asya Natapov Mohammed Quddus City-scale GPS data reveals impact of spatial configuration and dedicated infrastructure on e-scooter route choice Scientific Reports |
| title | City-scale GPS data reveals impact of spatial configuration and dedicated infrastructure on e-scooter route choice |
| title_full | City-scale GPS data reveals impact of spatial configuration and dedicated infrastructure on e-scooter route choice |
| title_fullStr | City-scale GPS data reveals impact of spatial configuration and dedicated infrastructure on e-scooter route choice |
| title_full_unstemmed | City-scale GPS data reveals impact of spatial configuration and dedicated infrastructure on e-scooter route choice |
| title_short | City-scale GPS data reveals impact of spatial configuration and dedicated infrastructure on e-scooter route choice |
| title_sort | city scale gps data reveals impact of spatial configuration and dedicated infrastructure on e scooter route choice |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-06938-2 |
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