Here is the problem facing city dwellers: Urban congestion continues to rise and existing modes of transportation — such as cars, buses and trains — are not keeping up with growing populations. U.S. commuters have lost an average of 99 hours a year to traffic congestion, according to the 2019 INRIX National Traffic Scorecard. In 2019, traffic cost Americans roughly $88 billion or an average of almost $1,400 per driver.
To circumvent the problem, micromobility startups are emerging as a powerful alternative to the current public transit mix, especially as the COVID-19 pandemic makes commuters reticent to pack themselves onto buses and trains with others of questionable health status.
Micromobility refers to short-distance transport, usually less than five miles. Increasingly, it is shorthand for the growing crop of bike- and scooter-sharing companies that are aiming to remake the urban landscape.
Though the pandemic has hit the micromobility industry hard, a
