Motability has commissed RiDC and and Collaborative Mobility UK (CoMoUK) to carry out research into what future micromobility services could look like for disabled people.
What is micromobility?
Micromobility is a term used to refer to transport using small vehicles such as cycles, scooters and segways. This is a rapidly growing area, and electric micromobility services are appearing in our towns and cities.
Why is this research being conducted?
Motability Foundation, has decided to explore micromobility because it is a rapidly growing transport type that is still in its infancy.
Last year, they commissioned an evidence review on accessible transport (PDF 683.6 KB). The research found that while micromobility presents opportunities in accessible travel, it is critical that the voices of disabled people are included in the design stage of future transport options.
What is this research seeking to achieve?
This research will investigate:
- what micromobility can mean for disabled people
- how services can be more inclusive and,
- how we can ensure the voices of disabled people are heard in future designs and decision making.
This will include understanding the experiences of disabled people when engaging with existing micromobility services, and the challenges they face when accessing them.
Lived experience will be key to this project.
Next steps
Work on this research is getting underway in April 2024. A full report on the findings and recommendations will be published in summer 2024.
If you are a disabled or older person and would like to share your experiences or thoughts on micromobility, you can sign up to our consumer panel here to be contacted when the research gets started.
This article is adapted from the Motability website - see the original article here
