2019 State of the Industry Report

• NABSA developed and released the first North American State of the Industry report for the shared micromobility industry on September 3, 2020.
• Thirty-six percent of shared micromobility trips replaced an auto trip, resulting in 30 million hours of additional physical activity and an offset of 65 million pounds of CO₂ emissions.
• North American micromobility riders took 157 million trips across 194,000 vehicles.

September 3, 2020 – Today, the North American Bikeshare Association (NABSA), the industry association for shared micromobility, including bikeshare and shared e-scooters, is pleased to present the first annual North American Shared Micromobility State of the Industry Report.

Over the last fourteen years, the shared micromobility industry has grown from a handful of city bikeshare programs to a complex ecosystem of bikeshare and shared e-scooter systems with a wide variety of vehicle types, system models, and ownership configurations. Cities have come to rely on shared micromobility as an integral part of the transportation network, increasing transportation options, and contributing to environmental, equity, and public health goals. Based on data gathered in 2019, the inaugural report shows a snapshot in time, providing a baseline to track trends, successes, and growth in the following areas:

• Community benefits, including increased physical activity, positive environmental impacts, and access to jobs
• Rider demographics
• Transportation access and equity
• Trends by vehicle type
• System statistics by city size
• Operating costs and revenues
• Operating characteristics, such as ownership models and data requirements from municipalities

This report’s release marks the first time the industry will have in-depth year-over-year metrics demonstrating its trends, growth, and success across North America. Statistical data from the 2019 report will serve as a benchmark for future comparisons and complements NACTO’s Shared Micromobility in the U.S. Snapshot report.

“NABSA is proud to steward this project,” said Sam Herr, NABSA Executive Director. “We’re even more proud to see the incredible data that demonstrates how successful and meaningful the shared micromobility industry is and continues to be.”

Data gathered for the report shows how the shared micromobility industry has grown exponentially over the last decade and improved cities. In 2019, North American riders took 157 million trips across 194,000 vehicles in 292 cities. According to user surveys, 36% of these rides replaced a car trip, and 5% were new rides that wouldn’t have been taken otherwise.

The report also clarifies the individual and community health benefits that accumulate to cities with a shared micromobility system. Exercise is an essential component of a healthy lifestyle. Thanks to shared micromobility, North Americans gained almost 30 million hours of additional physical activity in 2019. Additionally, shared micromobility trips produce considerably fewer greenhouse gas emissions when compared to motorized vehicles. When comparing trips alone, shared micromobility trips offset approximately 65 million pounds of CO₂ emissions by replacing car trips.

E-bikes have also had a massive impact on the industry. Data from the report shows that the system average utilization rate for e-bikes was about 1.7 times higher than the average rate for pedal bikes for systems that deploy both types of bikes.

The report also demonstrates the importance and widespread adoption of the General Bikeshare Feed Specification (GBFS), an open data standard managed by NABSA and MobilityData that enables app-based trip-planning with shared mobility vehicles. In 2019, 56% of North American cities required GBFS. NABSA will be releasing further education and guidance for municipalities about GBFS later this year.

NABSA selected Toole Design and the University of California Berkeley Transportation Sustainability Research Center to help develop the report by collecting and analyzing industry-wide data. The report is composed of survey results, statistics gathered from all performance reports released by shared micromobility systems, and data from GBFS.

The report is available for download at nabsa.net/industry.

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The North American Bikeshare Association (NABSA) connects the biggest minds in bikeshare and shared micromobility to support, promote and enhance shared alternatives to traditional transportation across North America. NABSA is the industry’s membership organization with representation from system owners, operators, host cities, equipment manufacturers and technology providers. Learn more at nabsa.net.