No, scooters are not a good replacement for public transport

The Derby City has proven to be an ideal testing ground for the likes of Lime and Bird thanks to the city’s low-regulation, pro-business politics, as well as the absence of a comprehensive public transit system, making a “last mile” transportation product extremely attractive.Hard Fork.The figures make for grim reading, both from an environmental perspective, but also for the venture capitalists who effectively subsidize each ride. A 2017 ORB survey shows that 67 percent of European city-dwellers regard app-based ridesharing platforms as a viable (and often more affordable) alternative to owning a car.But there are downsides. According to a 2018 study by transportation expert Bruce Schaller, app-based taxi platforms have caused city driving to increase by 160 percent, having a malign impact on both congestion and air quality.Lyft’s co-founder John Zimmer once boldly predicted that private car ownership would be consigned to the history books by 2025, and for the most part, I think he’s right. Secondly, the number of rides on public transport increase.When the French city of Aubagne removed fares on 11 popular bus lines, ridership soared by 142 percent, while private car rides dropped 10 percent.