Micromobility expands opportunities for people to get around their communities without using a vehicle. As communities explore various micromobility options, including electric and adaptive bicycles, trishaws and scooters, it is important to consider how all potential users, particularly older adults and people with disabilities, can benefit.
Electric bicycles – Electric bicycles (e-bikes) have increased in popularity in recent years, with “1.1 million e-bikes sold in the United States [in 2022], almost four times as many as were sold in 2019.” For an introduction to electric bikes, watch this video from Drive Electric Vermont. Among the various reasons for the surge in popularity, e-bikes have become popular with older adults because they reduce the amount of pedaling power needed to propel the bike through the battery-powered motor assist. E-bikes are particularly popular for those traveling up and down hills. According to a 2018 AARP article, “by providing a boost to get up hills or give older bones and weary muscles a bit of a break, electric-assist bicycles make cycling a practical option for getting around.” The first bikeshare system in America began operations in Washington, D.C. in August 2008. Capital Bikeshare added e-bikes to their fleet in 2018 and for the first time in the system’s history, e-bikes made up the majority of trips in July 2024, with 53.4% of riders choosing the electric option.
Source: Adaptive BIKETOWN, Portland, Oregon
Adaptive bicycles – Adaptive bicycles “are bikes that are modified to fit the needs of an individual rider.” These can include trikes, hand cycles, and recumbents. Trikes have three wheels and can address concerns with balancing, an issue of particular importance to older adults. Hand cycles are powered through the use of arms, rather than legs, and recumbent bicycles provide back support, reducing stress on the back, neck and wrists. A National Scan of Bike Share Equity Programs found that out of 70 urban systems that responded to the survey, 10 indicated that they had adaptive bikes. Adaptive BIKETOWN in Portland, Oregon is one such system, providing a variety of adaptive bikes to fit the needs of the rider and offering 1-hour rentals for free for those who “identify as someone living with a disability or if for any other reason [are] not able to ride a traditional two-wheeled bicycle.”
Cycling Without Age in Illinois, uses trishaws, which are similar to pedicabs, to offer rides and social connection to older adults with limited mobility.
Source: Active Transportation Alliance; Cycling Without Age, North Shore Chapter, Illinois
Scooters – Seated scooter systems have also gained popularity in recent years as a form of micromobility. According to a 2024 Veo report on Increasing Access to Micromobility through Vehicle Design, “riders aged 45 and above and people with disabilities are nearly twice as likely to prefer seated, throttle-assist vehicles over standing scooters.”
In addition to larger cities, many smaller communities are also looking to expand access to micromobility options. Montevallo, Alabama, a town with a population of 6,323, has a bikeshare system called ValloCycle, where “in addition to traditional mountain bikes and cruisers, the fleet is composed of hand operated cycles for individuals with physical disabilities.” For more information and examples regarding bikeshare and bicycle libraries in small communities, please see the following resources: Bikeshare in Small Communities publication, Bicycle & Pedestrian Infrastructure Improvements Realized in Communities of Less Than 10,000 People: Final Report and Case Studies of Communities of Less Than 10,000 People with Bicycle & Pedestrian Infrastructure.
While the above provides some great examples from both urban and rural environments, it is important that we ensure that planning for micromobility systems incorporate the needs of older adults and people with disabilities as a part of the process.
This blog was co-written by guest blogger Natalie Villwock-Witte (n.villwockwitte@montana.edu), an Associate Research Professor/Research Engineer with the Western Transportation Institute at Montana State University, and Meredith Bratton, Program Associate for the National Aging and Disability Transportation Center.