E-scooters in Qatar: Public perception, adoption intentions, and implications for urban mobility policy

<p>Despite growing global interest in e-scooters as micromobility solutions, limited research has explored factors influencing their adoption in car-dependent, high-income contexts with extreme summer climates. This study addresses this gap through nationwide web-based survey in Qatar, where h...

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Main Author: Zahid Hussain (661225) (author)
Other Authors: Wael K.M. Alhajyaseen (16936908) (author), Mohammad N.H. Naser (22963042) (author), Qinaat Hussain (15294164) (author), Charitha Dias (12191671) (author), Miho Iryo-Asano (19794492) (author)
Published: 2025
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author Zahid Hussain (661225)
author2 Wael K.M. Alhajyaseen (16936908)
Mohammad N.H. Naser (22963042)
Qinaat Hussain (15294164)
Charitha Dias (12191671)
Miho Iryo-Asano (19794492)
author2_role author
author
author
author
author
author_facet Zahid Hussain (661225)
Wael K.M. Alhajyaseen (16936908)
Mohammad N.H. Naser (22963042)
Qinaat Hussain (15294164)
Charitha Dias (12191671)
Miho Iryo-Asano (19794492)
author_role author
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Zahid Hussain (661225)
Wael K.M. Alhajyaseen (16936908)
Mohammad N.H. Naser (22963042)
Qinaat Hussain (15294164)
Charitha Dias (12191671)
Miho Iryo-Asano (19794492)
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2025-12-18T18:00:00Z
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv 10.1016/j.tbs.2025.101215
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/E-scooters_in_Qatar_Public_perception_adoption_intentions_and_implications_for_urban_mobility_policy/31017313
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv CC BY 4.0
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Built environment and design
Urban and regional planning
Engineering
Environmental engineering
Human society
Policy and administration
E-scooter
Urban mobility
Public acceptance
Structural equation modelling
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv E-scooters in Qatar: Public perception, adoption intentions, and implications for urban mobility policy
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv Text
Journal contribution
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
text
contribution to journal
description <p>Despite growing global interest in e-scooters as micromobility solutions, limited research has explored factors influencing their adoption in car-dependent, high-income contexts with extreme summer climates. This study addresses this gap through nationwide web-based survey in Qatar, where high private vehicle dependency, summer temperatures exceeding 45 °C, and limited cycling infrastructure as well as limited cycling culture create unique challenges for micromobility integration. The final sample consisted of 2736 respondents (339 e-scooter users and 2397 non-users), capturing usage patterns, demographic information, and non-users’ perceptions of public acceptance and intention to use e-scooters. Among current users, e-scooters were predominantly used for leisure and commuting, with males and notably, individuals without driving licenses using them frequently. Usage patterns differed between ownership types, with shared/rental users predominantly using e-scooters for leisure, while owned e-scooter users primarily used them for commuting. To examine non-users’ perspectives, structural equation modeling was used to assess influence of different factors on usage intention and perceived public acceptance. Findings revealed that regulatory and infrastructure support, along with social influence and preference, were the most significant predictors, while cost and service quality barriers negatively influenced usage intention. Importantly, perceived public acceptance strongly influenced personal intention to use, demonstrating that social legitimacy substantially shapes adoption even in car-oriented contexts. Sociodemographic analysis revealed that car ownership and higher income negatively predicted adoption, while non-license holders, non-Arab residents, and employed individuals showed significantly higher adoption potential. These findings offer valuable insights for policymakers and urban planners in developing targeted interventions to promote safe and sustainable integration of e-scooters. Such interventions include improved infrastructure, effective regulations, competitive pricing, enhanced service quality, and community engagement initiatives. While grounded in Qatar’s context, these findings can be generalized to urban environments globally characterized by high motorization rates, cultural preferences for private vehicles, challenging climatic conditions, and infrastructure limitations.</p><h2>Other Information</h2> <p> Published in: Travel Behaviour and Society<br> License: <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" target="_blank">http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</a><br>See article on publisher's website: <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tbs.2025.101215" target="_blank">https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tbs.2025.101215</a></p>
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
id Manara2_f3ec73515ebf2afb3defb70de3fa7d89
identifier_str_mv 10.1016/j.tbs.2025.101215
network_acronym_str Manara2
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oai_identifier_str oai:figshare.com:article/31017313
publishDate 2025
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spelling E-scooters in Qatar: Public perception, adoption intentions, and implications for urban mobility policyZahid Hussain (661225)Wael K.M. Alhajyaseen (16936908)Mohammad N.H. Naser (22963042)Qinaat Hussain (15294164)Charitha Dias (12191671)Miho Iryo-Asano (19794492)Built environment and designUrban and regional planningEngineeringEnvironmental engineeringHuman societyPolicy and administrationE-scooterUrban mobilityPublic acceptanceStructural equation modelling<p>Despite growing global interest in e-scooters as micromobility solutions, limited research has explored factors influencing their adoption in car-dependent, high-income contexts with extreme summer climates. This study addresses this gap through nationwide web-based survey in Qatar, where high private vehicle dependency, summer temperatures exceeding 45 °C, and limited cycling infrastructure as well as limited cycling culture create unique challenges for micromobility integration. The final sample consisted of 2736 respondents (339 e-scooter users and 2397 non-users), capturing usage patterns, demographic information, and non-users’ perceptions of public acceptance and intention to use e-scooters. Among current users, e-scooters were predominantly used for leisure and commuting, with males and notably, individuals without driving licenses using them frequently. Usage patterns differed between ownership types, with shared/rental users predominantly using e-scooters for leisure, while owned e-scooter users primarily used them for commuting. To examine non-users’ perspectives, structural equation modeling was used to assess influence of different factors on usage intention and perceived public acceptance. Findings revealed that regulatory and infrastructure support, along with social influence and preference, were the most significant predictors, while cost and service quality barriers negatively influenced usage intention. Importantly, perceived public acceptance strongly influenced personal intention to use, demonstrating that social legitimacy substantially shapes adoption even in car-oriented contexts. Sociodemographic analysis revealed that car ownership and higher income negatively predicted adoption, while non-license holders, non-Arab residents, and employed individuals showed significantly higher adoption potential. These findings offer valuable insights for policymakers and urban planners in developing targeted interventions to promote safe and sustainable integration of e-scooters. Such interventions include improved infrastructure, effective regulations, competitive pricing, enhanced service quality, and community engagement initiatives. While grounded in Qatar’s context, these findings can be generalized to urban environments globally characterized by high motorization rates, cultural preferences for private vehicles, challenging climatic conditions, and infrastructure limitations.</p><h2>Other Information</h2> <p> Published in: Travel Behaviour and Society<br> License: <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" target="_blank">http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</a><br>See article on publisher's website: <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tbs.2025.101215" target="_blank">https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tbs.2025.101215</a></p>2025-12-18T18:00:00ZTextJournal contributioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersiontextcontribution to journal10.1016/j.tbs.2025.101215https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/E-scooters_in_Qatar_Public_perception_adoption_intentions_and_implications_for_urban_mobility_policy/31017313CC BY 4.0info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:figshare.com:article/310173132025-12-18T18:00:00Z
spellingShingle E-scooters in Qatar: Public perception, adoption intentions, and implications for urban mobility policy
Zahid Hussain (661225)
Built environment and design
Urban and regional planning
Engineering
Environmental engineering
Human society
Policy and administration
E-scooter
Urban mobility
Public acceptance
Structural equation modelling
status_str publishedVersion
title E-scooters in Qatar: Public perception, adoption intentions, and implications for urban mobility policy
title_full E-scooters in Qatar: Public perception, adoption intentions, and implications for urban mobility policy
title_fullStr E-scooters in Qatar: Public perception, adoption intentions, and implications for urban mobility policy
title_full_unstemmed E-scooters in Qatar: Public perception, adoption intentions, and implications for urban mobility policy
title_short E-scooters in Qatar: Public perception, adoption intentions, and implications for urban mobility policy
title_sort E-scooters in Qatar: Public perception, adoption intentions, and implications for urban mobility policy
topic Built environment and design
Urban and regional planning
Engineering
Environmental engineering
Human society
Policy and administration
E-scooter
Urban mobility
Public acceptance
Structural equation modelling