Assessing the potential of developing an ecosystem for electric scooters in Bangkok, Thailand

Abstract

The rising need for mobility induces challenges to providing a sustainable mode of transportation. The absence in providing door-to-door service by public transportation gives the opportunity for micromobility to take a position. With millions of people commuting every day, Thailand's capital city requires more choices in transportation. E-scooters can travel short distances in a vehicle and are not affected by traffic. However, under the current regulation, e-scooters are not recognized as a mode of transportation in Bangkok which question the existence of the ecosystem of e-scooters in the city. To address the problems, this research focuses on exploring the potential of developing an ecosystem for electric scooters in Bangkok, Thailand. Semi-structured interviews with a purposive sampling method are conducted for e-scooters users (n=6), service providers (n=1), and suppliers (n=1). On the infrastructural side, user interviews and field observation are used in tandem. Subsequently, thematic analysis and simple statistic are used to analyze the data. Overall, the electric scooter ecosystem in Bangkok is still under development. The supply capability requires adequate bike lane provision to meet safe riding in an ideal environment. The demand structure needs more understanding of e-scooters utilization knowledge so that e-scooters could become a safe transportation mode option for people. Likewise, the institution requires establishing rules and regulations to standardize the use of e-scooters in Bangkok so that safer rides could be achieved. The challenges are related to standardization, infrastructure provision, unsafe riding, and e-scooters' knowledge. The potential of developing an ecosystem for e-scooters utilization in Bangkok are: an area-specific implementation, such as universities, and other private properties; a short-distance mode of transportation around the local road; private sector-led standardization; a partnership expansion within more actors. It is recommended to implement a strategy that focuses on standardization, partnerships with transit systems, and massifying the e-scooters knowledge.