Understanding the e-scooter user puzzle: a systematic literature review

Research on e-scooter sharing has increased rapidly over the last six years. The present paper provides an in-depth review of the scholarly literature on the characteristics of e-scooter-sharing users. The present review is the first one dedicated to the e-scooter (potential) user profile. The review covers geographically spread studies which examined e-scooter users in the early (pilot) operation periods, during the Covid-19 pandemic, and after the maturity of the e-scooter sharing schemes. Following the PRISMA method, the systematic literature search ended with seventy-five empirical scientific publications. The review contributions include mapping the determinants of e-scooter sharing current and stated usage, completing the dominant user characteristics puzzle, and designing a conceptual framework for the e-scooter user profile. The framework was built upon revealed statistically significant main interaction effects of four variable categories: sociodemographic, mobility, household characteristics, and attitudes. The proposed framework can assist and guide researchers and system stakeholders in the variable and effect testing selection process of identifying users’ profiles. The review also uncovers research gaps regarding not only the characteristics and their relationship types investigated in the existing literature but also the study data, methods and context. Concluding upon the knowledge status quo and the limitations of past research, the review proposes future research paths which could lead to more systematic, generalisable, and holistic knowledge of e-scooter sharing (potential) user groups.