University students' perspectives on micromobility: An evaluation based on e-scooters

Abstract

While people's expectations and needs affect their behavior and preferences, technological developments increase the options they can choose from. One of these areas has been the field of transportation, which has been offering environmentally friendly options such as e-scooters and e-bikes in recent years. These new transportation options, called micromobility, are becoming increasingly popular, especially among young people. In this study, the opinions of university students about micromobility, with an emphasis on e-scooters, were investigated. Using a structured interview method, 10 female and 10 male students studying at a maritime university were asked about their opinions on the use of these vehicles. The results show that students are reluctant to use them mainly because they find the roads unsafe and the rules and regulations inefficient. From the gender point of view, it is revealed that the majority of female students don’t prefer them, especially on quiet roads, because of the harassment they might face. Further research on this topic can be carried out with the participation of more students using different methods.

Keywords

• university students
• micromobility
• e-scooters
• Innovation
• Transportation
• safety

Üni̇versi̇te öğrenci̇leri̇ni̇n mi̇kromobi̇li̇teye bakış açıları: E-scooterlar açısından bi̇r değerlendi̇rme

Abstract

İnsanların beklenti ve ihtiyaçları davranış ve tercihlerini etkilerken, teknolojik gelişmeler de tercihte bulunabilecekleri seçenekleri arttırmaktadır. Son yıllarda e-scooter ve e-bisiklet gibi seçenekler sunan ulaşım alanı da teknolojik gelişmelerin olumlu yasımalarının gözlemlendiği alanlardan biridir. Mikromobilite olarak adlandırılan bu yeni ulaşım seçenekleri özellikle gençler arasında giderek daha popüler hale gelmektedir. Bu çalışmada, üniversite öğrencilerinin e-scooter başta olmak üzere mikromobilite hakkındaki görüşleri araştırılmıştır. Yapılandırılmış görüşme yöntemi kullanılarak, bir denizcilik üniversitesinde okuyan 15 kadın ve 15 erkek öğrenciye bu araçların kullanımına ilişkin görüşleri sorulmuştur. Sonuçlar, öğrencilerin yolları güvensiz, kural ve düzenlemeleri yetersiz buldukları için bu araçları kullanma konusunda isteksiz olduklarını göstermektedir. Cinsiyet açısından bakıldığında, kız öğrencilerin çoğunluğunun, özellikle tenha yollarda, karşılaşabilecekleri tacizler nedeniyle bu araçları tercih etmedikleri ortaya çıkmıştır. Çalışma kampüs içi ulaşım için e-scooter ve benzeri araçlara gerek duyulmayan küçük alanlı bir üniversitede gerçekleştirildiğinden öğrencilerin sadece kampüs dışı mikromobilite ve e-scooter kullanımı konusundaki fikirlerine ulaşılabilmiştir.Daha büyük alanlı bir üniversitede söz konusu araçların kampüs içi kullanımı konusunda da fikir elde edilebilir.

Keywords

• Mikromobilite
• E-scooter
• üniversite öğrencileri
• inovasyon
• ulaşım
• güvenlik

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