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How micromobility is changing European cities
Preliminary report findings reveals how smarter rules in Hannover and visitor-led cycling in Seville are reshaping how Europeans move through their cities.
At a glance
Who: Sustainable Urban Transitions Lab, a Europe-wide programme between ETH Zürich and the Bolt Urban Fund.
What: Early findings of a European report on pilot cities of Hannover and Seville sets out how micromobility is changing the way people move around cities. Data shows how smart policy can work, gender matters and visitors and locals ride differently.
Why: To provide planning teams now have a greater evidence base to see which interventions create cities for people with sustainable mobility options.
When: The research focuses on pilot projects in the German city of Hannover and the Spanish city of Seville.
Micromobility is changing the way people move around European cities, according to a report from the Sustainable Urban Transitions (Sut) Lab.
The report focuses on a number of areas and real-world projects including the impact of tighter scooter parking zones in the Hannover and visitor cycling trends in Seville.
Sustainable urban mobility
The Sut Lab is a research partnership and Europe-wide programme between ETH Zürich and the Bolt Urban Fund, designed to support the practical implementation of European cities’ Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (Sumps).
The findings mark the initial phase of its pilot projects in Hannover and Seville and reveal opportunities to improve first-and last-mile access, boost safety, and ensure gender-equal mobility.
“These findings turn our data into a story about people – how they move around cities, on what kind of transport they feel safe, and which policies actually change travel behaviour”
The next phase of the project will see the Lab complete simulation models of each City to test how to best connect new public transport infrastructure and mobility hubs. In Seville, this modelling will include first-time analysis of Bolt’s ride-hailing data to explore and understand patterns of car usage across the City.
“These findings turn our data into a story about people – how they move around cities, on what kind of transport they feel safe, and which policies actually change travel behaviour,” said Jevgeni Kabanov, pat Bolt. “Planning teams now have a greater evidence base to see which interventions create cities for people.”
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In its first six months, the Lab has drawn on millions of e-scooter and e-bike trips to offer a clear picture of how policy, demographics, and street design interact - and how simple changes can deliver safer, fairer, and cleaner mobility.
Key findings include:
- Smart policy works: Hannover’s new city-centre parking restrictions were highly effective, cutting ultra-short trips (under 1-km) and encouraging more purposeful scooter rides
- Gender matters: in Hannover, women travel earlier, connect more with public transport, and encounter different areas of safety risk, critical insight for targeted infrastructure design
- Visitors and locals ride differently: visitors take 54 per cent of Seville’s e-bike trips and follow distinct, slower routes through historic and riverside areas that differ from local riders, showing the need to balance leisure-focused routes with everyday mobility needs.
“The collaboration between Bolt and ETH provides us an excellent combination of access to high-quality data and high-quality research,” said Professor Dr Eva Heinen of ETH Zurich. “This allows us to push the boundaries and to engage in cutting-edge projects, trying to tackle the complexities in the current urban mobility system.”
The Bolt Urban Fund is a social investment programme set up by European mobility platform Bolt to accelerate the societal benefits of shared mobility worldwide.
Why not try these links to see what our SmartCitiesWorld AI can tell you.
(Please note this is an experimental service)
How do parking restrictions in Hannover reduce ultra-short e-scooter trips?What infrastructure changes improve gender-equal mobility in urban micromobility?How can visitor cycling patterns in Seville inform city mobility planning?What role does first-and last-mile access play in sustainable urban mobility?How can simulation models optimize connections between transport hubs and public transit?Energy & EnvironmentGovernance and CitizenHannoverMicromobilitymobilityPolicy MakingSevilleTransport hubs
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