The 'electric kickboard', which had been gaining attention as innovative mobility, has fallen from grace and is disappearing from public projects. It has been identified that there were no public project tenders this year for promoting the personal mobility (PM) ecosystem and building infrastructure.
◇ Public project tenders for infrastructure construction have stopped as user numbers decline
According to the Korea Public Procurement Service on the 20th, there were no public projects related to the construction of electric kickboard infrastructure this year. Since last year, public projects related to PM have primarily focused on establishing monitoring systems, while support for facilities and transportation systems to activate electric kickboards has virtually ceased.
In terms of related projects this year, the PM reporting system operation services in Seoul, Daejeon, and Paju, and PM enforcement vehicle management are all that exist. This contrasts sharply with the period around 2020 when there was a surge of enthusiasm for electric kickboards and large-scale infrastructure construction projects.
Industry insiders point to reasons for this situation as pedestrian safety accidents related to kickboard usage, illegal parking issues, and environmental degradation. In particular, due to amendments to the Road Traffic Act in 2021 that introduced mandatory licensing, helmet requirements, and driving restrictions, the number of users has plummeted.
According to data aggregated through Mobile Index on the monthly active users (MAU) of major domestic shared kickboard services (Jiku, Swing, Beam, Thing, Deer, Kickgoing, Alpaca, Dart, Shuckle, Flower Road, Pluspot), the total MAU as of last October was 1,844,014. This represents about a 16% decrease compared to the same period last year (2,210,673). It has been analyzed that the necessity for public projects has also diminished.
◇ Growing atmosphere of withdrawal in Europe
The crisis in the PM ecosystem is occurring not only domestically but also abroad. According to ANSA news agency, since the 14th, Italy has mandated helmet usage when using electric kickboards and imposed fines of at least €250 (approximately 370,000 won) for using a cellphone while riding. These regulations are measures aimed at addressing the increasing accidents related to electric kickboards each year, as well as issues of traffic accidents and urban aesthetics degradation.
France banned the lending of shared electric kickboards through a referendum last year, and Madrid, Spain, has implemented similar measures. The United Kingdom and the Netherlands are tightening regulations, allowing electric kickboard use only under extremely limited conditions.
Some domestic PM companies, such as G-Bike, are seeking opportunities in markets with less regulation and high growth potential, such as Southeast Asia and Africa. G-Bike launched electric kickboard services in Accra, the capital of Ghana, on the 18th.
A G-Bike official noted, "The domestic shared PM market has already reached a saturation level of about 250,000 to 300,000 units," and added, "In Southeast Asia, where motorcycles are the main means of transportation, there is a growing preference for eco-friendly modes of transportation due to issues such as exhaust emissions and environmental factors."