Trend watch: Transit & micromobility in 2026 — signals, winners, and red flags

The global micromobility market reached $78.53 billion in 2024, with projections to hit $245.08 billion by 2033—a 13.48% CAGR that outpaces most transportation segments. E-scooter sharing alone has grown from $1.53 billion to a projected $7.08 billion market by 2033, while shared bike programs facilitated 157 million trips in the US and Canada in 2023—surpassing pre-pandemic levels. For European procurement professionals evaluating sustainable transportation options, these numbers signal a sector reaching maturity and demanding serious consideration.

Why It Matters

European cities face converging pressures that position micromobility as a strategic solution rather than a novelty. Urban congestion costs EU economies an estimated €270 billion annually. Air quality regulations are tightening, with Low Emission Zones now operational in over 320 European cities. Meanwhile, the European Green Deal's transport decarbonization targets require 90% emissions reduction by 2050—impossible without fundamental modal shift.

Micromobility directly addresses last-mile connectivity—the 1-3 kilometer gap between transit stops and destinations that often determines whether public transport is viable. Research from the OECD indicates that effective last-mile solutions increase public transit ridership by 15-25%, creating multiplicative sustainability benefits as private vehicle trips are displaced.

For procurement, the business case extends beyond environmental compliance. Corporate micromobility programs reduce parking infrastructure requirements, decrease commute-related employee stress, and demonstrate tangible sustainability commitments to stakeholders. Pilot programs at Siemens, SAP, and Deutsche Telekom report 20-30% reductions in employee commuting emissions with positive satisfaction ratings (European Cyclists' Federation, 2024).

Segment	2024 Market Size	Growth Rate (CAGR)	Key Metric
E-scooter sharing	$1.53B	18.56%	4.8M scooters globally
Bike sharing	$9.0B	7.6%	157M annual trips (US/Canada)
E-bike sales	$23.5B	11.3%	Fastest-growing bike segment
Overall micromobility	$78.53B	13.48%	45-53% APAC market share

Key Concepts

Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) Integration represents the evolution from standalone micromobility to unified transportation ecosystems. Successful European deployments—Helsinki's Whim, Vienna's WienMobil—integrate public transit, shared bikes/scooters, ride-hailing, and car-sharing into single apps with unified payment. Procurement should evaluate micromobility vendors based on MaaS platform compatibility and API openness.

Dockless vs. Station-Based Systems create different procurement considerations. Dockless systems (free-floating bikes/scooters) offer flexibility but create municipal management challenges—parking compliance, redistribution logistics, and vandalism. Station-based systems require infrastructure investment but provide predictability and integration with transit hubs. Hybrid models are emerging as the preferred approach for corporate deployments.

Fleet Electrification Economics have reached an inflection point. Battery costs have declined 90% since 2010, while e-bike/e-scooter operational costs now undercut conventional alternatives. However, battery lifecycle management—replacement, refurbishment, recycling—adds complexity that procurement specifications must address.

Regulatory Compliance Requirements vary significantly across European jurisdictions. Speed limits range from 20-25 km/h depending on country. Insurance requirements differ. Helmet mandates are inconsistent. Procurement teams must verify vendor compliance with specific operational jurisdictions and ensure contractual provisions for regulatory changes.

What's Working and What Isn't

What's Working

Corporate Micromobility Programs: Enterprise deployments are demonstrating measurable impact. Deloitte's Amsterdam office partnership with Swapfiets provides employees with subscription e-bikes, reducing car commuting by 35% while improving punctuality and employee satisfaction. Similar programs at ING, Unilever, and Philips report positive ROI within 18 months through reduced parking costs and improved recruitment competitiveness (Deloitte Sustainability Report, 2024).

Integrated Public-Private Partnerships: Cities that partner with private operators while maintaining public oversight achieve better outcomes than purely commercial or purely public approaches. Paris's Vélib' system—publicly procured but privately operated—processes 300,000+ daily trips with 97% fleet availability. The model provides accountability while leveraging private-sector operational efficiency.

Intermodal Connectivity Focus: Successful micromobility deployments concentrate on transit connectivity rather than standalone trips. Barcelona's Bicing system achieves 78% of trips connecting to metro stations, demonstrating genuine modal integration rather than recreational use.

What Isn't Working

Oversaturation Without Coordination: Cities that permitted unlimited operator entry—as occurred in Paris and Brussels during 2018-2019—experienced negative outcomes: sidewalk clutter, low utilization rates, and operator failures. Regulated tender processes with limited operator licenses now predominate, but legacy perception challenges remain.

Standalone Sustainability Claims: Micromobility's environmental benefits depend heavily on what trips are displaced. A 2024 University of Copenhagen study found that 40% of shared e-scooter trips replaced walking or cycling—not car trips—limiting net emissions reductions. Procurement should evaluate providers based on modal displacement data, not gross trip counts.

Seasonal Utilization Volatility: Northern European deployments face 60-70% utilization drops during winter months, creating fleet management and financial sustainability challenges. Year-round programs (like Minneapolis's 2025 initiative with Lime and Spin) demonstrate that winter operation is feasible with appropriate equipment and maintenance, but cold-weather performance should be explicit in procurement evaluation.

Safety and Liability Concerns: E-scooter injury rates remain elevated compared to bicycles—3x higher per trip according to a 2024 European Transport Safety Council analysis. Corporate programs must address liability exposure, with clear provisions for insurance, maintenance standards, and user training.

Key Players

Established Leaders

Lime operates in 280+ cities globally, completing 156 million trips in 2023. Their LimeBike and LimeScooter platforms demonstrate the largest scale, with Gen4 scooters featuring improved safety systems and extended battery life.

Tier (merged with Dott) created Europe's largest micromobility operator through their 2024 merger, operating 250,000 vehicles across 427 cities. The combined entity offers enhanced procurement scale and geographic coverage.

Bolt has rapidly expanded shared mobility alongside its ride-hailing platform, operating in 500+ European cities with integrated payment systems that simplify corporate account management.

Emerging Startups

Voi (Sweden) focuses specifically on European markets with strong municipal partnership approaches and safety innovation, including helmet detection technology and in-app safety tutorials.

Dott (prior to Tier merger) demonstrated profitable unit economics in European markets, emphasizing sustainable operations including battery swapping and local employment.

Yulu (India) offers electric two-wheeler sharing optimized for emerging market conditions, relevant for European companies with global operations seeking consistent mobility solutions.

Key Investors & Funders

The European Investment Bank (EIB) provides financing for sustainable urban mobility infrastructure, including micromobility fleet electrification and charging network development.

Uber and Lyft have made strategic investments in micromobility (Lime, Jump) to offer integrated transportation platforms, though both have also divested certain assets.

Holden Capital and RTP Global are among the leading venture investors in European micromobility, backing Tier, Voi, and other regional leaders.

Examples

Deutsche Bahn's Call a Bike Integration: Germany's national railway operator integrates bike-sharing stations at 150+ train stations, enabling seamless first/last-mile connectivity for rail passengers. The program processed 3.2 million rentals in 2024, with 67% of users reporting that bike availability influenced their decision to take train rather than car. Corporate partnership programs enable company employees to access bikes with unified billing, demonstrating scalable enterprise integration (Deutsche Bahn, 2024).
Amsterdam's Corporate Mobility Credits: The city's B2B mobility platform enables companies to purchase mobility credits redeemable across multiple transportation modes—including shared bikes/scooters, public transit, and car-sharing. Participating employers (including ING, KLM, and Booking.com) report 28% reductions in employee parking demand and improved commute satisfaction. The platform demonstrates procurement at ecosystem level rather than single-vendor contracting (City of Amsterdam, 2024).
Lisbon's GIRA Integration with Metro: Lisbon's public bike-sharing system (GIRA) achieved 98% integration with metro smartcards, enabling single-tap payment across transit modes. Corporate accounts allow employers to subsidize employee trips while receiving consolidated reporting on usage patterns and emissions savings. The 2024 expansion added 2,500 e-bikes and 250 stations, with corporate accounts representing 23% of system usage (EMEL Lisbon, 2024).

Action Checklist

Assess employee commuting patterns to identify micromobility opportunity zones—particularly last-mile gaps between transit and workplace
Evaluate MaaS platform compatibility when selecting micromobility vendors, ensuring integration with broader corporate transportation programs
Require modal displacement data in procurement specifications—prioritize vendors demonstrating car trip replacement rather than walking/cycling substitution
Verify regulatory compliance across operational jurisdictions, with contractual provisions for regulatory adaptation
Include fleet lifecycle provisions addressing battery replacement, vehicle refurbishment, and end-of-life recycling
Pilot before scale: implement 6-12 month pilots with clear success metrics before committing to long-term contracts

FAQ

Q: How should procurement evaluate micromobility vendors for corporate programs? A: Key evaluation criteria include: MaaS platform integration capabilities, geographic coverage aligned with employee locations, safety record and training resources, fleet maintenance standards, sustainability credentials (battery lifecycle, vehicle manufacturing), data reporting capabilities, and pricing structures (subscription vs. per-trip, corporate account features).

Q: What insurance and liability considerations apply to corporate micromobility programs? A: Most operators include third-party liability insurance in their services, but coverage limits vary. Corporate procurement should verify: coverage amounts (minimum €5 million recommended for Europe), geographic coverage, occupational classification implications, and employer duty-of-care obligations. Some organizations provide supplementary insurance or restrict usage to commuting rather than business travel.

Q: How can organizations measure the sustainability impact of micromobility programs? A: Effective measurement requires: baseline commuting mode data (before program), ongoing mode choice tracking, modal displacement analysis (what trips are actually replaced), and lifecycle emissions assessment (vehicle manufacturing, operations, end-of-life). Avoid vanity metrics like total trips—focus on car trips replaced and resulting emissions reductions.

Q: What contract terms should procurement prioritize for micromobility agreements? A: Key provisions include: service level agreements for fleet availability and maintenance response, data access and reporting requirements, price stability mechanisms, fleet upgrade provisions, exit terms and data portability, regulatory compliance obligations, sustainability and lifecycle management requirements.

Sources

Straits Research. (2024). Micro-Mobility Market Size & Outlook, 2025-2033.
IMARC Group. (2024). Micro-Mobility Market Report.
European Cyclists' Federation. (2024). Corporate Cycling Programs: Impact Assessment.
European Transport Safety Council. (2024). E-Scooter Safety in Europe: Annual Report.
OECD. (2024). Micromobility and Public Transit Integration: Policy Implications.
North American Bikeshare & Scootershare Association. (2024). Shared Micromobility State of the Industry Report.