Sharing mobility in Italy: the sector is mature, but bikesharing continues to grow
The sharing mobility sector in Italy has reached a stage of maturity. Indeed, data from the Eighth National Sharing Mobility Report, presented at the Intermobility Future Ways forum, show limited growth: between 2023 and 2024, the total number of rentals and kilometers traveled remained stable, while the sector’s turnover reached 178 million euros in 2023, a slight increase from the previous year. The total fleet has about 81,000 vehicles, 86 percent of which are scooters and bicycles (44 percent and 42 percent, respectively), while cars and scooters make up the remaining 14 percent. A distinguishing feature is the very high percentage of zero-emission vehicles, at 95 percent.
Let us then analyze the state of the art of different modes of transportation.
Carsharing: changes in progress
The carsharing industry is evolving rapidly. The car-sharing fleet has nearly reached 8,000 vehicles, thus returning to pre-pandemic levels, with a significant increase in hybrid and electric cars.
In the free-floating segment, mileage growth is observed, reaching 78 million km in 2023. Nearly 90 million are expected by 2024, thanks in part to the introduction of long-term rental options. At the same time, the average duration of rentals has more than doubled from 34 to 88 minutes, while the total number of rentals is around 6 million, in line with 2020.
As for station-based carsharing, the sector remains stable with about 1,200 available vehicles and 300,000 annual rentals, accompanied by a significant increase in average rental duration over the past two years.
Bikesharing: a growing industry
Bikesharing stands out as the most dynamic segment in 2023. Shared electric bikes, especially in free-floating services, are gaining ground, accounting for 62 percent of the total fleet. The leading cities for e-bike deployment are Milan, Rome and Bologna. Demand is booming, with a 12% increase in rentals in 2023 (11.5 million) and a 22% growth forecast for 2024. Rides also follow this trend, reaching 25 million km in 2023.
In station-based bikesharing, demand is stable with about 4 million annual rentals, but early data for 2024 suggest a possible increase.
Scooters: reorganization underway
The scooter-sharing market went through a rationalization phase in 2023. After years of haphazard growth, the sector is shrinking: some cities, such as Milan, have introduced regulations to limit the number of vehicles and operators. This has led to a fleet reduction of about 18,000 units between 2022 and 2024. However, the number of rentals remains stable at 25 million, although average distances have shortened from 2.5 to 2.1 kilometers. In addition, the number of cities with active services decreased from 47 to 35 between 2022 and 2023.
Scootersharing: the domain of Cooltra
Scooter-sharing has seen a drastic reduction in supply, with active services dropping from 22 to 10 between 2022 and 2023, halving the number of vehicles. In this context, Cooltra has emerged as the undisputed leader, accounting for 90 percent of the total fleet as of April 2024. Despite the decrease in available vehicles, rentals reached a record 4.5 million in 2023. However, the first months of 2024 show a 20 percent decline, signaling a possible reduction in future demand.
Accidents and safety
Safety in shared micromobility services has improved: accidents per 100,000 rentals have decreased by 48 percent for bicycles, 11 percent for scooters, and 7 percent for scooters. The cities with the highest number of accidents for shared scooters are Modena and Rome.
DRT: an expanding industry
For the first time, the report also analyzed DRT (Demand Responsive Transport). This segment has seen significant growth, with 41 services active in spring 2024, tripled between 2022 and 2023, and increased by an additional 40 percent in early 2024. The services, mainly present in northern Italy, carried more than 600,000 passengers in 2023, confirming it as an innovative and efficient mobility option.
Source: TTS Italy
