Shared mobility in Italy: bike and car sharing are growing, scooters and scooters are declining

The shared mobility scenario in Italian cities has undergone profound transformations in recent years. If, on the one hand, according to an Istat report on the urban environment, in 2024 the overall number of vehicles used in the capitals remained substantially unchanged compared to the previous year, on the other the composition of the offer has changed significantly. Specifically, a clear decrease in the diffusion of scooters and scooters was balanced by the recovery of bike sharing and car sharing.

The number of vehicles used by shared mobility services in 2024 stood at approximately 100 thousand units, equal to 56.9 per 10 thousand inhabitants, a figure similar to that recorded in 2023. However, the balance between the vehicles that make up the overall offer has undergone radical changes.

The supply of electric scooters fell for the third consecutive year, falling to 24.5 vehicles per 10 thousand inhabitants compared to the 25.5 recorded the previous year. The geographical spread of this form of electric micromobility has also suffered a setback: in 2024, the vehicles are present in 40 capitals, two fewer than in 2023. The service is then concentrated mainly in metropolitan capitals, where over 70% of sharing scooters operate. If Rome hosts the largest fleet, made up of 13,500 units, almost a third of the total, the city with the highest offer is Pisa, with 78.4 scooters per 10 thousand inhabitants.

The offer of scooter sharing also continues to reduce, recording a diffusion more than halved compared to 2022. In the space of two years it has gone from 5.4 mopeds or motorcycles per 10 thousand inhabitants to 2.4. The service is also present only in 12 provincial capitals, with a strong concentration in the large cities: only Rome and Milan host over 75% of the vehicles. Even in this case, however, Pisa is the best served municipality, with 33.6 vehicles per 10 thousand inhabitants.

However, given the sharp decline that has affected scooters and scooters, other shared mobility services have found greater diffusion. This is the case of bike sharing, which recorded strong growth in 2024, going from 23.5 bicycles per 10 thousand inhabitants in 2023 to 25.1. In 2024, the service was present in 65 capitals, a significantly higher number than that found for scooters and scooters.