The relationship between E-scooter travels and daily leisure activities in Austin, Texas

Abstract: Shared micromobility programs, including dockless electric scooter-share (E-scooter), are popular in many U.S. cities, and with their adoption brings the hope that they may uphold better car-free accessibility. However, few studies provide clear answers to what activities drive its travel demand or whether it could actually generate more visiting activities. To fill this gap, we conducted a spatiotemporal similarity analysis between E-scooter use and visit patterns to leisure facilities. We find that E-scooter use is significantly correlated with daily dining and drinking, shopping, and recreational activities, in that order. Moreover, we find higher scooter-visit correlation clusters in downtown and university campus areas. We then used the Difference-in-Differences approach to examine if E-scooter use can generate more visiting activities. Surprisingly, the results show that E-scooter use is insignificant to the overall visit increase.

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