By Catherine Middleton
Interactions
Since George Mason University is widely recognized as a “commuter school,” having a variety of safe and effective transportation methods is essential to the success of the student body. E-scooters on the George Mason campus are a part of the Dockless Mobility Pilot Program initiated by the City of Fairfax on July 8th, 2019. There are several human-environment interactions at play when it comes to E-scooters (or shared mobility scooters) on the GMU campus. E-scooters as a legitimate transportation resource were introduced to increase mobility in urban areas. They are meant to provide an environmentally-friendly, affordable method of transportation (Dias et al. 2021) to those that may not otherwise have access to a car. E-scooters are also an example of incorporating media and technology into transportation alternatives, which enables human-environment interaction through the use of the e-scooter brand’s mobile app (Ratan et al. 2021).
Resource Characteristics
Typically, the public opinion regarding e-scooters tends to lean towards the thought that they are an environmentally-friendly alternative to gasoline-powered cars. In a study conducted by Kjaerup et al. 2021, the authors conducted a series of interviews to gain a better understanding of public perception towards e-scooters. The general perspective of the interviewees was that e-scooters are a green form of transportation due to their lack of emissions (Kjaerup et al. 2021). This is not necessarily incorrect, but the bigger picture would indicate that e-scooters do indeed have some negative impact on the environment due to their manufacturing, production, and transportation process (Hollingsworth et al. 2019). For example, e-scooters are distributed by gas-powered motor vehicles, which offsets the intention to provide a sustainable mode of transportation (Dias et al. 2021). Overall, though e-scooters have disadvantages when it comes to counterbalancing the transportation sectors’ global emissions, they remain a more eco-friendly option than cars.
Governance/User Characteristics
Many types of people and institutions are involved when it comes to the regulation and dispersal of e-scooters. George Mason University and the City of Fairfax are in tandem with each other due to their collaboration on the City of Fairfax’s Dockless Mobility Program (George Mason University, n.d.). E-scooters are not a purely domestic phenomenon, either. In fact, a pilot program operating out of Munich determined that it’s possible for e-scooters to cover up to 60% of daily trips pending car replacement (Dias et al. 2021). Additionally, a large part of the e-scooters’ success is dependent on whether the infrastructure framework allows for it. This is where the government comes in. If we were to maximize the benefits of e-scooter usage, the government would need to implement public policy that would ensure the safety of all individuals. An example of this is introducing policy measures to expand roads such that more room for a bike lane is provided (Kjaerup et al. 2021). It would reduce pedestrian and vehicular accidents if the infrastructure needed for e-scooters is present.
Social/Cultural/Economic/Political settings or related ecosystems
Economic development definitely plays a significant role when it comes to e-scooters. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, the domestic transportation sector alone accounts for the majority of greenhouse gas emissions at 30% as of 2019 (U.S. Department of Transportation, 2022). Because of this, there is certainly a market for products that are more sustainable and eco-friendly, to the point where the U.S. government is in the process of offering tax incentives for the purchase of electric vehicles (Chen et al. 2021). Furthermore, electric scooters offer a more realistic availability to the average citizen due to their much smaller expense.
What Can We Do?
While e-scooters are generally a more eco-friendly option, there are some negative implications on the environment. As mentioned in earlier, the process of manufacturing e-scooters and transporting them is somewhat of an issue (Kjaerup et al. 2021). GMU could tackle this by having permanent hubs and charging stations, assuming the pilot program continues. Additionally, there is the issue that the scooters can only travel short distances. Once they leave the GMU campus or the city limits of Fairfax, they shut down. This is not necessarily a huge issue unless commuters don’t have an alternate means of transportation. Commuters wouldn’t have access to the e-scooters if they wanted to travel from home to campus (if they live outside of Fairfax City), only if they wanted to go from one end of campus to another. Overall, GMU could improve upon many aspects of their transportation options, especially given the amount of students who don’t live on campus.
If Relevant
GMU doesn’t seem to be taking any direct action at this point with regards to e-scooters. There are three different e-scooter company options on campus: Bird, Lime, and LINK. They are still available to use on campus until December 31st, 2022.
References
Chen, Z., Carrel, A. L., Gore, C., & Shi, W. (2021). Environmental and economic impact of electric vehicle adoption in the U.S. Environmental Research Letters, 16(4), 045011. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/abe2d0
Climate Action | US Department of Transportation. (n.d.). Retrieved November 9, 2022, from https://www.transportation.gov/priorities/climate-and-sustainability/climate-action
Dias, G., Arsenio, E., & Ribeiro, P. (2021). The Role of Shared E-Scooter Systems in Urban Sustainability and Resilience during the Covid-19 Mobility Restrictions. Sustainability, 13(13), 7084. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13137084
Dockless Mobility | City of Fairfax, VA. (n.d.). Retrieved November 8, 2022, from https://www.fairfaxva.gov/government/public-works/transportation-division/docklessmobility
E-scooters come to GMU campus (but they’re geofenced). (2020, February 4). WTOP News. https://wtop.com/business-finance/2020/02/e-scooters-come-to-gmu-campus-but-theyre-geofenced/
Hollingsworth, J., Copeland, B., & Johnson, J. X. (2019). Are e-scooters polluters? The environmental impacts of shared dockless electric scooters. Environmental Research Letters, 14(8), 084031. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ab2da8
Kjærup, M., Skov, M. B., & van Berkel, N. (2021). E-Scooter Sustainability – A Clash of Needs, Perspectives, and Experiences. In C. Ardito, R. Lanzilotti, A. Malizia, H. Petrie, A. Piccinno, G. Desolda, & K. Inkpen (Eds.), Human-Computer Interaction – INTERACT 2021 (Vol. 12934, pp. 365–383). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-85613-7_26
Kubik, A. (2022). Impact of the Use of Electric Scooters from Shared Mobility Systems on the Users. Smart Cities, 5(3), 1079. https://doi.org/10.3390/smartcities5030054
Ratan, R., Earle, K., Rosenthal, S., Hua Chen, V. H., Gambino, A., Goggin, G., Stevens, H., Li, B., & Lee, K. M. (2021). The (digital) medium of mobility is the message: Examining the influence of e-scooter mobile app perceptions on e-scooter use intent. Computers in Human Behavior Reports, 3, 100076. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chbr.2021.100076
Transportation Services. (n.d.). Parking and Transportation. Retrieved November 8, 2022, from https://transportation.gmu.edu/transportation-services/