This project examined shared e-scooter trips provided by the operator Voi and used a trip planner to determine the potential alternatives if users had chosen to walk or utilise public transportation (PT) instead.

The analysis reveals that Voi trips are typically brief, with 71% lasting less than 10 minutes, usually covering 1-2 kilometres, and mostly occurring within central Gothenburg. The trip planner indicated that walking would be the best alternative for roughly half of the trips, while public transportation would be the main alternative for the other half. 

For the trips for which the trip planner suggested walking as the best alternative, 81% of them are less than 1 km long, meaning they could be alternatively covered by walking 15 minutes or less. Nonetheless, 89% of trips are faster with Voi, and 72% of them begin or end within 100 metres of a public transport stop, which strongly implies intermodal behaviour among e-scooter users and the use of e-scooters as a first/last mile solution; however, further research is necessary to support this statement.

Regarding the trips for which the trip planner suggested PT with no transfers, half of the users would have had to walk 500 m or more to access and egress PT and 80% of them started or ended within 100 m of a public transport stop, which can suggest users choosing Voi to replace a leg of their trips; or even the complete trip, considering that roughly half of these trips would have been theoretically cheaper with Voi instead of PT. Nonetheless, once again, more research is needed to support these hypotheses.

Generally, shared e-scooters hold the potential to complement public transportation services in densely populated urban areas, a notion supported by this study and prior academic and grey research. Even in the absence of parking regulations, users tend to initiate or conclude their trips near public transport stops, which can serve as a valuable guideline for developing parking policy.

In conclusion, shared e-scooters represent an important aspect of urban transportation that should not be overlooked. It is crucial to engage both existing and potential e-scooter operators in transportation planning to foster collaboration with municipalities, PT agencies and local communities. This collaborative effort should aim to promote multimodality, integrated ticketing solutions, and user-centric approaches that encourage a shift away from less sustainable transportation modes.