Shared Micro-Mobility in Urban Transportation: Exploring Potential Users’ Views and Attitudes Towards Using E-Scooters

Shared micro-mobility systems, especially e-scooters, offer a practical and environmentally friendly urban travel option in the context of today’s modern cities. Like in other continents and countries, these mobility services have become increasingly popular in Istanbul, however, it has not yet been observed that they have been adopted by everyone. This research attempts to explore the factors that affect potential users' intention to use shared e-scooters in Istanbul. The technology acceptance model is used as the theoretical framework of the study. Key elements such as effort expectancy, performance expectancy, and facilitating conditions are examined to understand technology acceptance. To obtain a deeper understanding, a test drive was conducted with 32 participants who had no previous e-scooter experience. The behavioral intentions of potential participants towards e-scooters were determined by analyzing the UTAUT2 questionnaire administered to the participants after the test drive. It was concluded that the participants' future intentions towards e-scooters were low, and that these vehicles would not be the primary choice for urban transportation. However, factors such as performance expectancy, entertainment motivation, and price value were decisive in understanding behavioral intention.