The Pulse of Higher Ed

Perspectives on Online and Professional Education
from UPCEA’s Research and Consulting Experts

Micro-Mobility, E-Scooters and Implications for Higher Education

If young Millennials and Gen Z’ers continue to disrupt through greater adoption of other modes of transportation in the sharing economy and advancements in driver-assisted and self-driving vehicles continue, expect our cities to start to transform. With less disposable income than previous generations, a heighten consciousness toward the environment and disinclination to purchase big ticket items, it is likely that these young adults will adopt micro-mobility methods of transportation. If these generations fuel the growth in e-scooters, e-bikes and pedal bikes and e-scooters as major modes of commuting, then one can expect changes to our cities, such as safety lanes, dedicated lanes, charging stations and a decrease in one-person automobile-owned commutes. The carbon footprint could also be reduced with an increase in health as well. With change, comes opportunities for institutions of higher education. New degrees, certificates and opportunities in the trades will emerge.

Generation Z and Millennials, coupled with favorable trends regarding renewable energy and resource sharing, are quickly fueling a change within the transportation landscape.  Some have labeled the phenomenon “micro-mobility.” This term originally referred to personal vehicles for one or two passengers with the most common example being a standard pedal bike.  Now, however, it describes new forms of transportation that include docked bikes, e-bikes, e-scooters, and even skateboards or e-skateboards often used in an urban setting.

E-bikes and e-scooters have emerged as primary options for riders looking for micro-mobility in large city markets. The first semblance of modern bikeshare was seen in Copenhagen in 1995. However, it took 15 years for large-scale adoption of the bikesharing practice in the U.S., with Washington D.C. launching Capital Bikeshare as a commitment to the bikeshare model, replacing the pilot program launched two years earlier. In 2013, New York city launched its corporate sponsorship funding bikeshare program, a unique model using no public funds. That year, Chicago and San Francisco also launched their bikesharing programs. The key features of these bikesharing systems were dock stations and monthly membership fees.

It was not until 2017 that the defining feature of micro-mobility began to emerge: a dockless system. Private companies like LimeBikes and Vbikes launched their dockless bikes in cities including San Francisco. However, in just a year, the dockless micro-mobility model has all but shifted to e-scooters. A  pilot program in Washington D.C. originally had five companies offering dockless bikes, with promises of expanding the bike-sharing market. By Spring 2018, the program had almost completely shifted to e-scooters, with two of the biggest dockless bike operators, Mobike and Ofo, leaving the pilot that summer, citing an over-regulated market. At the same time, dockless e-scooters became popular, with all but the Uber-owned company Jump choosing to fill its government-given allocation of micro-mobility vehicles exclusively with scooters. Many other U.S. cities are following this trend. Shared pedal bikes are quickly disappearing in cities including Seattle, Washington D.C., Dallas, Camden, Chicago, and Boston in 2018.

Micro-mobility companies report that electric vehicles are much more popular for ridesharing, indicating that dockless e-bikes are twice as popular as standard bikes. Even more popular than dockless e-bikes are dockless e-scooters, with micro-mobility companies reporting that dockless e-scooters are two and a half times as popular among riders. These companies are responding accordingly. One of the biggest e-scooter companies, Lime, was originally called LimeBikes, but rebranded in May 2018, transitioning from dockless e-bikes to dockless e-scooters in May 2018.

Among micro-mobility companies, e-scooters are seeing the highest rates of adoption in U.S. metropolitan areas. In under one year, e-scooters saw 3.6%  growth, similar to the growth seen by ridesharing giants like Uber and Lyft. Bikesharing companies like Motivate have seen positive growth in the past eight years, but the future is uncertain. The adoption of bikesharing will see a healthy bump due to the advent of the e-bike; however, bikesharing will also  have a very large segment of its market taken by the more popular e-scooter option. It is clear that e-scooters are the dominant option in the micro-mobility market. Ridesharing options have all seen logarithmic growth, meaning that in eight years, the e-scooter market can expect to see much greater linear growth than 28.8%. Given these forecasts, the main focus of this paper will be on dockless e-scooters.

Click here to download the white paper “Micro-Mobility, E-Scooters and Implications for Higher Education”.

Learn more about UPCEA's expert consultants

Do you need help with your PCO unit or campus? We can help. Contact UPCEA Research and Consulting for a brief consult. Email [email protected] or call us at 202-659-3130.

Trusted by the nation's top colleges and universities, UPCEA Research and Consulting provides the best value in the industry today. UPCEA's industry experts have years of experience in Online and Professional Continuing education - put them to work for you!

UPCEA Research and Consulting offers a variety of custom research and consulting options through an outcomes-focused pricing model. Find the option(s) that best suit your institution.

Learn more about UPCEA Research & Consulting


The UPCEA Difference

Unmatched Experience: For more than 100 years, UPCEA consultants have exclusively served the needs of online and professional continuing education programs. UPCEA consultants leverage their extensive industry expertise to expedite solutions, anticipate upcoming shifts, and offer distinct best practices, effectively aiding clients in achieving their goals.

Cost Effectiveness: As a nonprofit, member-serving organization, we provide unmatched value, allowing you to maximize limited research and consulting budgets.

Action in Motion: Our cadre of experienced, skilled authorities and expert practitioners propels you forward, translating research and consulting into impactful implementation, a distinctive hallmark of UPCEA. Our team of current and former institutional leaders will support you, turning research and consulting into action.

Mission Alignment: Like you, our mission is to enhance and expand educational opportunities and outcomes for adult and other non-traditional learners. We share your values and work in partnership with you to advance access and excellence in education.

Other UPCEA Updates + Blogs

UPCEA Announces Exclusive Partnership with the International Distance Education Benchmark Project (IDEBP)

Collaboration empowers online education leaders with confidential benchmarking, data-driven insights, and strategic decision-making tools WASHINGTON, D.C., October 29, 2025 — UPCEA, the online and professional education association, has announced an exclusive partnership with the International Distance Education Benchmark Project (IDEBP), a first-of-its-kind initiative designed to help higher education institutions strengthen their digital learning strategies through…

Read More

Leading in the Age of AI: Learning from Lincoln

“How would you describe your leadership style?”  This question is a common one for both mid-level and senior-level candidates in the interview process. In the past, many relied on descriptors such as transformative, collaborative, or authentic to explain how they approached people and built teams. But as you think about your next career step, perhaps…

Read More

AI Tools Are Driving Prospective Student Decisions, UPCEA and Search Influence Research Shows

Half of prospective students use AI tools weekly, and early-adopting institutions stand to gain in enrollment visibility. NEW ORLEANS, La., October 13, 2025 – 50 percent of prospective students now use AI-powered search tools at least weekly, making artificial intelligence a critical first step in discovering and evaluating higher education programs. The 2025 AI Search…

Read More

Maximizing Audience Lifetime Value: The Role of Branding, Partnerships, and Alumni Networks in Credential Success

Shifting Student and Employer Priorities Create Opportunities for Higher Education Interest and innovation in workforce-related programming and credentials continue to surge, emerging as one of the fastest growing markets in higher education. Two-thirds of colleges and universities are making significant investments in this area, with more than one-third also embedding professional certifications into their online…

Read More

UPCEA Virtual Forum Recap: Expanding Institutional Capacity for Employer Engagement in Credential Innovation

September 17, 2025 marked UPCEA’s first-ever Virtual Forum on Employer Engagement and Credential Innovation. The event, curated by Amy Heitzman, Ph.D., UPCEA’s Deputy CEO and Chief Learning Officer, brought together senior leaders in professional, continuing, and online education to examine how institutions can strengthen partnerships with employers and scale credentialing strategies that align with workforce…

Read More

UPCEA Publishes “The Future Is Now: Essential Conversations for Building Tomorrow’s University Today” to Guide Higher Education Leaders into a New Era

Advocacy piece serves as a guide for institutional leaders to navigate challenging times WASHINGTON, D.C., ISSUED OCTOBER 6, 2025…UPCEA, the online and professional education association, today announces the release of its latest advocacy piece, “The Future Is Now: Essential Conversations for Building Tomorrow’s University Today.”  Designed to raise awareness of critical questions every campus leader…

Read More

The Nation's Top Universities Choose UPCEA Research and Consulting

Informed decisions. Ideas that work. The data you need. Trusted by the top universities in the nation.