Scooter, e-bike companies adapt to changing commute patterns

Though many of their would-be customers no longer have to go to downtown offices and are more frequently sheltering in place, scooter and e-bike companies have still found ways to make money in the pandemic.

The pandemic hit micromobility early on, with riders concerned about cleanliness of the shared devices. But as the health crisis continued, more riders deferred to micromobility as a safe alternative to buses, subways, taxis and commuter trains — all modes that seem crowded, have poor ventilation or simply don't feel COVID-free.

So for now, the working-from-home trend isn't impacting the profitability of bike- and scooter-sharing platforms, and the shared-bike boom continues as more cities work to incorporate micromobility.

"Rather than seeing downtown to downtown, we're seeing more trips in neighborhoods themselves," Sam Sadle, senior director of government relations for North America at Lime, told Automotive News in November. "We've seen shifts in times. We used to have big spikes in the morning commute, big spikes in the evening commute. Now we don't have as much of a morning spike, but the evening spike lasts longer. People aren't commuting, but when they're getting off work from home, they're then hopping on a bike or a scooter to go to the grocery store or whatever it is."

Shared bikes and scooters remain an alternative for those who do not own a car or bike, a Lyft spokeswoman said, adding: "While tourism is down in many of our markets, we've noticed increased bikeshare usage by locals exploring or traveling within their own communities."

There are other opportunities for these companies: Scooter-share provider Bird now both rents and sells its devices.

These companies have largely rebounded from the early days of COVID-19, said Siddharth Jaiswal, senior manager leading the automotive practice at market intelligence provider Netscribes, but he expects micromobility companies to join the last-mile delivery trend. "Diversification is something which I believe most companies will think of," he said.

But Kersten Heineke, a partner leading the McKinsey Center for Future Mobility in Europe, said he thinks these companies likely won't seek additional forms of revenue or try to diversify their portfolios in ways that other mobility players — such as Uber with Uber Eats — have.

"I would say it's more difficult to find other creative options here," he said.

To Heineke, the path to success for micromobility companies is less about seeking other business opportunities and more about operational efficiency and success in their core business.

"At least for the next two to three years, the possibilities in terms of growth are so huge that I would focus on that," Heineke said.