Analyzing shared mobility markets in Europe: A comparative analysis of shared mobility schemes across 311 European cities

The progression of shared mobility across Europe is remarkable. While station-based car and bike sharing have a more extended history, particularly in major European (capital) cities, recent advancements in modal types and operational models have significantly transformed the shared mobility landscape. Rapid expansion by private organisations has broadened access to shared mobility services across Europe. However, not all European cities are considered potentially viable markets due to local factors such as stringent regulatory frameworks and unfavourable economic conditions. The composition of the local offerings influences how citizens use these services, impacting travel behaviour and the local transport networks differently. Therefore, understanding the availability of various shared mobility schemes across Europe is essential for comprehending the market structure, its development, the providers' decision drivers, and the potential consequences for local transportation systems.

First, this paper presents data on various segments and features of the shared mobility market across European cities with more than 100.000 inhabitants. Second, two cluster approaches, i.e. k-means and latent class clustering analysis (LCCA), are conducted to structure this European market. Third, the contextual characteristics, such as socio-demographics, the built environment and the geography, are compared among the clusters using Dunn testing.

The results depict that the market is very fragmented, ranging from cities with a minimal offer (i.e. one type of modality available) to cities with a very competitive market consisting of numerous modalities and operators.

As expected, the most comprehensive offer of shared mobility is found in cities with the highest economic potential, measured by GDP per capita and population size. However, these cities tend to impose stricter regulations and invest in public schemes, especially for bike and car sharing, affecting the share of private operators. This may explain why private scooter sharing companies are willing to operate in smaller cities that initially seem to lack the economic conditions to accommodate a profitable sharing scheme. In cities where scooters are absent, mainly in Dutch cities, free-floating moped- and bike-sharing schemes have acted as a surrogate. Still, the comprehensiveness of the offer in these cities is considerable, suggesting that even with strict regulatory frameworks, other factors like infrastructure can create an attractive environment for operators. Overall, shared mobility is well-developed in European cities, meaning that many people are already aware of or have access to some form of shared mobility. This provides opportunities for other less-developed modalities, such as cargo bicycles, to further expand and offer specific use cases for car replacement. Therefore, future research could follow up on market developments to understand how various segments evolve and to examine the role of different policy frameworks more thoroughly.