Can regulation turn micromobility start-ups into transportation necessity?

The mobility sector often shies away from the word ‘revolution’, but it is difficult to characterise the ascent of micromobility otherwise, with services proliferating throughout the world’s major cities at tremendous speed. But like any revolution, the appearance of services like Lime, Bird and Jump has often proven messy, with some cities virtually blindsided by an overnight invasion of vehicles that they were ill prepared to regulate. From Dallas to Paris, sidewalks were suddenly cluttered with shared, dockless scooters. Some were abandoned, victims of vandalism which, for some companies, would get so bad they would have to withdraw services altogether. Meanwhile, top speeds of up to 25kph (15mph), coupled with a lack of protective gear, raised understandable safety concerns.