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Shared mobility: kick scooters and scooters are in decline, whilst car and bike sharing are on the rise

In 2024, the number of bicycles per 10,000 inhabitants stands at 25.1 (compared with 23.5 in 2023). The number of cars, on the other hand, stands at 4.9 per 10,000 inhabitants, compared with 4.7 in 2023.

by Pietro Menzani

10 September 2026

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3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

The shared mobility landscape in Italian cities has undergone profound changes in recent years. Whilst, on the one hand, according to an Istat report on the urban environment, the total number of vehicles in use in regional capitals in 2024 remained largely unchanged compared with the previous year, on the other hand, the composition of the transport options available has changed significantly. Specifically, a sharp decline in the use of kick scooters and mopeds has been offset by a resurgence in bike-sharing and car-sharing.

The transformation of the offering

The number of vehicles used by shared mobility services in 2024 stood at around 100,000, equivalent to 56.9 per 10,000 inhabitants, a figure similar to that recorded in 2023. However, the balance between the different types of vehicles making up the overall offering has undergone radical changes.

The number of electric scooters on the market has fallen for the third year running, dropping to 24.5 vehicles per 10,000 inhabitants compared with the 25.5 recorded the previous year. The geographical spread of this form of electric micromobility has also suffered a setback: in 2024, the scooters are available in 40 regional capitals, two fewer than in 2023. The service is also concentrated mainly in metropolitan capital cities, where over 70 per cent of shared scooters operate. Whilst Rome is home to the largest fleet, comprising 13,500 units – almost a third of the total – the city with the highest availability is Pisa, with 78.4 scooters per 10,000 inhabitants.

The scooter-sharing service is also continuing to shrink, with the number of scooters in use now less than half what it was in 2022. Within two years, the figure has fallen from 5.4 mopeds or motorcycles per 10,000 inhabitants to 2.4. The service is now available in only 12 provincial capitals, with a high concentration in large cities: Rome and Milan alone account for over 75 per cent of the vehicles. Even so, Pisa remains the best-served municipality, with 33.6 vehicles per 10,000 inhabitants.

The growth of bike-sharing

However, whilst there has been a sharp decline in the use of kick scooters and motorised scooters, other shared mobility services have become more widespread. This is the case with bike-sharing, which recorded strong growth in 2024, rising from 23.5 bicycles per 10,000 inhabitants in 2023 to 25.1. In 2024, the service was available in 65 county towns, a figure significantly higher than that for kick scooters and motorised scooters.

The most marked increases were seen in the north of the peninsula, where the figure rose from 35.8 to 39 bicycles per 10,000 inhabitants – a figure well above the national average – and in central Italy, where it rose from 20.7 to 23.3. In the South, however, compared with 2023, the prevalence of these vehicles fell from 8.0 to 5.9 per 10,000 inhabitants. The cities with the most extensive bike-sharing schemes are Florence (110.4 bicycles per 10,000 inhabitants) and Milan (106.9), followed by Padua (94) and Bologna (91).

The strongest growth was recorded for fleets providing on-demand services (+8.1 per cent, compared with +2.1 per cent for fixed-location services) and for those operating in provincial capitals (+14.4 per cent, compared with +4.1 per cent in metropolitan capitals).

Car ownership is on the rise

Although to a lesser extent, car-sharing services also saw an increase in 2024 compared with the previous year. The service, which had already returned to pre-pandemic levels by 2022, now averages 4.9 vehicles per 10,000 inhabitants, compared with 4.7 in 2023. The increase, however, is not insignificant when compared with the figure recorded in 2021, when the number of vehicles had fallen to 3.9 per 10,000 inhabitants. In 2024, the service is operational in 35 Italian cities. According to Istat, the modest increase recorded at national level is the result of a rise in free-floating fleets (+12.8 per cent), offset by a decline in fixed-location fleets (-38.4 per cent).

As with bicycles, the South has seen a decline in the coverage of the service (-7.0 per cent), whilst the only regions where provision has increased are the North-East (+15.7 per cent) and the Centre (+18.3 per cent). The vehicles are particularly concentrated in metropolitan centres, where they reach a density of 9.1 vehicles per 10,000 inhabitants, up 7.1 per cent on 2023, with peaks of 23.5 in Milan and availability of around 16 vehicles per 10,000 inhabitants in Bologna and Turin.

As regards environmental impact, around one in two vehicles in the regional capitals is low-emission, a figure that has risen significantly compared with 2019, when the figure was just over one in four. Finally, in 22 out of 35 cities (including Genoa, Venice, Florence, Naples, Bari and Catania), operators use exclusively low-emission vehicles.

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