What type of infrastructures do e-scooter riders prefer? A route choice model

Abstract E-scooter is an innovative travel mode that meets the demand of many travelers. A lack of understanding of user routing preferences makes it difficult for policymakers to adapt existing infrastructures to accommodate these emerging travel demands. This study develops an e-scooter route choice model to reveal riders’ preferences for different types of transportation infrastructures, using revealed preferences data. The data were collected using Global Positioning System units installed on e-scooters operating on Virginia Tech’s campus. We applied the Recursive Logit route choice model to 2000 randomly sampled e-scooter trajectories. The model results suggest e-scooter riders are willing to travel longer distances to ride in bikeways (59% longer), multi-use paths (29%), tertiary roads (15%), and one-way roads (21%). E-scooter users also prefer shorter and simpler routes. Finally, slope is not a determinant for e-scooter route choice, likely because e-scooters are powered by electricity.

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