One in three shared bike and e-scooter users admits running red lights, UK survey finds

One in ten UK adults (10%) has used a shared bike, e-bike or e-scooter in the past year, according to a nationally representative survey of 1508 adults, and more than a third of users (36%) admit to running red lights at least occasionally.

The survey conducted by Fortia Insight and BMG Research, both part of RSK Group, found that 6% admitted to frequently running red lights.

Fortia Insight Director of Transport Economics John Siraut said the findings paint a picture of an industry still confined to a narrow, youth-dominated niche, with usage falling sharply after the age of 34. He said the results also puncture some of the assumptions that have shaped how the sector talks about itself.

Usage falls sharply after 34

John noted that age is by far the strongest predictor of use. More than a quarter of 25–34-year-olds (27%) have used a shared bike or scooter in the past year, and one in five 18–24-year-olds (20%) have done so. This falls to under 5% among 45–54-year-olds and to under 1% (0.7%) among over-65s.

Men and women use shared bikes equally, but motivations differ

He said that, contrary to the image of shared micromobility as a male-dominated pursuit, men (10.3%) and women (9.7%) are equally likely to have used a shared bike or scooter. This puts shared bikes and scooters far ahead of cycling generally when it comes to closing the gender gap.

John said: “London-wide data on all bike use (own bike and shared combined) shows men cycling at nearly twice the rate of women (29% vs. 18%), and the National Travel Survey finds men make two to three times as many cycling trips as women nationally. Shared schemes appear to be succeeding, whether by accident or design, where decades of conventional cycling promotion have struggled: getting women onto two wheels in equal numbers to men.”

John said that when the team examined why people use shared bikes and scooters, the picture changed sharply:

• Men are more than twice as likely as women to cite leisure or exercise as a reason for use (57% vs. 26%).
• Women are twice as likely as men to say a shared bike or scooter is simply faster than walking (46% vs. 22%).
• Men are two and a half times more likely to use one as a backup when other transport is cancelled or disrupted (25% vs. 10%).

Car replacement claim only really holds up for men

John said: “The industry’s environmental pitch rests heavily on the idea that shared bikes and scooters take cars off the road. The data suggest that claim is true mainly for men. Asked what they would have done if a shared bike or scooter hadn’t been available, half of male users (50%) say they would have driven. But only 15% of female users say the same. Women who use shared bikes and scooters are, instead, substituting mostly for walking (39%) and buses or trains (23–24% combined), trips that were arguably sustainable already.”

Deprivation, ethnicity and geography challenge “urban elite toy” label

The study found that shared micromobility is often assumed to be the preserve of affluent, city-centre professionals. The data complicate that picture:

• Adults from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds are more than twice as likely to have used a shared bike or scooter as White adults (21% vs. 8%), one of the largest gaps in the survey.
• Usage is lowest, not highest, in the least deprived areas of the country (6%), rising to 11–12% in more deprived areas.
• London usage (21%) is roughly triple the national average and significantly higher than every other English region tested; the South West registers the lowest regional usage (2%).
• Graduates (17%) are still far more likely to use shared bikes or scooters than those with no formal qualifications (3%), and higher earners (AB social grade, 16%) are far more likely to use them than the lowest income group (DE, 4%).

First and last mile, but also first and last resort for safety

John said the study revealed that, among people who do use shared bikes and scooters, nearly half (47%) do so at least weekly, and just over half (52%) use them at least occasionally to connect to buses, trains or the Underground, supporting the “first/last mile” case made by transport planners.

But safety compliance is patchy: 36% of users admit to riding through red lights at least occasionally, with no significant difference between men and women.

What matters most for users

When asked what makes them choose a shared bike or scooter over walking, driving or public transport, users rated convenience and fun/enjoyment of riding as “very important” more often (60% each) than environmental sustainability (55%) or speed (49%). This suggests operators’ sustainability messaging may be less central to customer decision-making than convenience and enjoyment.

John said: “Shared mobility has certainly made an impact in London. It has challenged the old stereotype of London cycling being dominated by Lycra-clad men on their top-end racing bikes. But it also risks provoking a backlash, given the regular red-light running and the image of shared bikes and scooters cluttering pavements.”

BMG Research Managing Director Simon Wood added: “Our survey also shows that outside London, and among older age groups, shared mobility has yet to make much of an impression. It is also unclear what role it plays in supporting more sustainable travel. While for some men it appears to be an alternative to the car, for many women it is seen more as a substitute for walking or public transport.”

Methodology: Data were collected from a nationally representative online survey of 1508 UK adults. Figures for overall usage (the headline 10% figure and demographic breakdowns) are based on the full sample and weighted to be nationally representative.

Figures describing the behaviour of shared bike/e-scooter users specifically (frequency of use, reasons for use, red-light running and mode substitution) are based on the subset of 172 respondents (unweighted) who said they had used a shared bike or e-scooter in the past 12 months; these figures carry wider margins of error and are reported here only at the total and gender level, where sample sizes remain robust.

All differences reported as “significant” are significant at the 95% confidence level per the survey’s independent z-tests/t-tests. The comparison to cycling generally draws on separately published London-wide all-bike-use data (2022/23–2024/25) and National Travel Survey data on cycling trip frequency by gender; these cover a different geography, scope and time period from the primary survey and are cited as external context rather than part of the underlying data set.