When I first tried a standing scooter, trying to keep balanced while moving 15 miles per hour next to a row of fast-moving cars, I was a little freaked out. Why aren’t more women using micromobility? Perhaps because the most common vehicle type in our industry – the standing scooter – was designed for men, like so many other aspects of our transportation systems. But we shouldn’t stop there – it’s time for my industry to take a look at vehicle design. Some of the solutions to address this discrepancy are known: Study after study has concluded that cities need to install protected bike lanes to get more women riding. The gender gap is just as pervasive in micromobility, where young men are the predominant users of shared electric scooters and bikes. Bicycling has long been a male-dominated activity, with fewer than a third of U.S.

And we have our work cut out for us: Women comprise only 15 percent of the transportation workforce and even less at the C-suite level.Īs the only female founder in micromobility, I am dedicated to bridging the gender gap in the bike lane. We need the voices of women at all levels of our industry to ensure our transportation systems feel safe and accessible for everyone.

And in the worst cases, it can mean life or death: women are 73 percent more likely to be injured and 17 percent more likely die in a car crash because crash testing seldom takes women’s body types into account. Other times, it costs us: women pay up to $1,200 more than men on transportation every year due to factors like childcare responsibilities and safety concerns. Sometimes it’s just a matter of convenience.

But for women, these instances tend to pile up, making it clear that our transportation systems were designed by and tailored for men. Or when your bus can’t easily accommodate a stroller. Like when you’re on a train and can’t quite reach the hand strap over your head.

If it was just the occasional inconvenience, it might be easier to brush off.

S2719dgf micro center