Differences in car, bike and scooter sharing business models
February 25, 2020
min. read
The mobility industry is growing at a rapid rate, with innovations happening across cars, bikes and scooter sharing alike. This article explores the most recent advancements in the market and how industry leaders are finding new ways to compete. Learn about the different models for Mobility as a Service and what it means for the future of transportation.
Car Sharing Services
According to research by the Internet of Things, the number of carsharing service users across the world is expected to grow from 50.4 million people in 2018 to 227.1 million in 2023. The number of cars used for car sharing services is also forecasted to increase from 332,000 at the end of 2018 to 1.2 million by 2023. The rising demand for these services has driven more companies towards developing methods of sharing that go beyond traditional single use cars.
Image source: Internet of Things
Free Floating
A new model of car sharing that has recently grown in popularity is free floating carsharing, which allows users to pick up a car in one location and return it anywhere within a predefined Home Zone. Challenging the idea of ownership, this service currently has 3 million users worldwide, with over 30 thousand vehicles available across more than 50 cities.
there are currently over 30 thousand vehicles equipped with this service across more than 50 cities worldwide
Dailmer and BMW became a leader in the free floating industry when they merged their two car sharing services, Car2Go and DriveNow, in February 2019 to form SHARE NOW. With over four million members, the free floating car rental service is available in 18 major cities across Europe with a fleet of 20,500 vehicles to choose from. Members register through a mobile app, gaining access to the services for the cost of $0.32 per minute. The company covers the fixed costs of car loans, car insurance and car maintenance so users are able to enjoy the freedom of driving without the responsibility of ownership.
The largest benefit of free float car sharing is the higher demand that can be met on average per ride and car each day. However, this model still includes a lot of operational day-to-day tasks such as maintenance, relocating, fueling/charging that can require a larger team.
Station Based
The traditional model of car sharing services is station based, where users can pick-up vehicles from a fixed rental station after filling out paperwork in person or through a mobile app. After signing an agreement, the renter is able to drive the car wherever they would like. The lease ends once the car is returned to a designated rental station that has been approved by the provider. This model does not provide the same flexibility to users that newer offerings have, however, it remains one of the best ways for providers to track the vehicles without developing complex systems.
Enterprise CarShare is an example of traditional station based car sharing services. Offering users three membership levels to choose from, the pricing varies based on hourly, daily and overnight rates as well as kilometers driven. Depending on the membership, hourly rates are around $8, daily rates $75 and overnight rates start at $29. The vehicles are available for pick-up at designated stations or lots and can be returned at the discretion of the user to any Enterprise location at the end of their trip.
Compared to free float services, station based car sharing has lower operational costs since only a few fixed stations need to be monitored and checked each day. Right now this model is most profitable in the market, once free float operators enter on a wider scale it will be harder to keep up with the high demand.
Peer-to-Peer
Peer-to-peer car sharing services have experienced large growth in the past few years. Research found that by 2017, more than 2.9 million people in North America were using these services renting over 131,336 vehicles. Peer-based car-sharing fleets expanded by 80 percent between 2016 and 2017 and memberships doubled.
The peer-to-peer car sharing model allows users to list their own vehicles on a sharing platform, connecting hosts to guests looking to rent. This style of sharing allows users to set their own rental rates, while giving members who are looking to rent a wider selection of vehicles to choose from.
Turo is a leader in the peer-to-peer sharing industry, serving as a marketplace where guests can book any car they want from hosts across the US, Canada, the UK and Germany. The guests are able to choose from a unique selection of cars within their area, while allowing the hosts an opportunity to earn extra money to offset the costs of ownership. The company currently has over 10 million users, with more than 350,000 vehicles listed for rent.
Image source: cnet
The rates for Turo are charged by the hour and are subject to adjustments made either by the company’s own algorithm or the specific daily rates charged by each host.
In this model, the operator acts as an aggregator without ownership over the vehicles, which makes it easier to scale the business without the need for huge capital investments. However, it becomes more difficult to control the quality of the experience since every car cannot be checked on a regular basis. It is important to establish a strong customer support team to help resolve any issues that occur.
Autonomous
The future of car sharing is focused on eliminating the driver all together. Autonomous vehicles are beginning to make their way into the marketplace, with the hope being that fleets of self-driving cars will be able to pick-up users at any given location and return to the designated charging area all on their own.
A leader in this next step of mobility is Waymo, a company that emerged from Google’s self-driving car project. The company launched their first commercial self-driving-car service in December 2018, in Phoenix. The self-driving cars operate in an approximately 100-square-mile radius, serving the towns of Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa and Tempe. Available to a select few pre-approved riders, the hope is that driverless vehicles will be a main part of transportation in the future. There are currently around 1,500 monthly active users helping with the testing program.
In theory, the economics of this model should be great as there is no driver costs or relocating costs, keeping operational requirements to a minimum. These vehicles will however be heavily regulated, with limited access in the near future.
Bike Sharing Services
The demand for accessible transportation in cities has expanded beyond traditional motor vehicles. Across the world, urban areas are beginning to adapt bike sharing programs that allow citizens to use both standard bicycles and e-bikes as a form of travel. The bikes are usually selected from one docking station, and later returned to another across the city. There is currently believed to be nearly 900 bike-sharing systems available globally, with continuous advancements being made each year.
The bike sharing market is expected to grow from a $2.7 billion dollar industry to $5 billion by 2025, according to a report by Research and Markets. That in mind, bike sharing companies across the world should approach expansion with caution to avoid over extending their services. In 2018, Chinese bike sharing start-up Ofo experienced financial decline due to their costly global expansion that was not supported by commercial success. The company was unable to maintain the accessibility of its competitors who partnered with mobile app providers, offering them a wider reach for their services. Without support from an investment partner, Ofo could no longer sustain the maintenance of its bike sharing fleets, let alone compete in the market.
We believe you can build a successful bike share company once you have the right strategy in place. It is important to be operationally efficient when starting out, initially launching a smaller fleet and growing organically with the demand. If you start by scaling wide without having the matching demand, your resources will be spread too thin. The most successful bike share programs work with the local municipalities and cities to determine revenue streams and find the best options to connect with riders.
Dockless Bike Sharing
The dockless bike sharing model offers users access to bicycles that do not require a docking station. Dockless systems allow the bikes to be located and unlocked through a mobile app then returned to a designated district at a bike rack or along the sidewalk. This model is designed for short term use, ideal when travelling or visiting somewhere as a tourist. Most dockless sharing services offer single rides for $1 or monthly fees for continuous use.
Lime was one of the first companies to offer dockless bike services. Users access the bikes at designated areas through the company’s mobile app, initially they are charged a fixed rate to unlock the vehicle and then per minute for the duration of their trip. The rates and promotions available vary based on location and time. Program packages are also offered for users who wish to make monthly payments or have the services available to their employees on a regular basis.
This model of bike sharing is ideal for users because it is easily accessible and convenient to employ every day. There are high operational costs that come with this type of service, as well as a larger risk for vandalism or damage to the bikes.
Station Based
Traditional bike share programs include docking stations where the bicycles are locked until a user purchases a ride. The user pays at a nearby pay station before unlocking the vehicle for a short term trip, later returning it to any available docking station when finished. There are typically two types of payment options available, a flat membership fee or pass that allows access to the bikes for a certain period of time and then a usage fee that charges for the amount of time you spend riding.
San Francisco is one of the first cities to create a regulatory and permitting framework around the trend of bike-sharing. In December 2019, 4,000 e-bikes were launched as part of the Bay Area bike sharing program, designed to make mobility easily accessible to citizens. The program provides rides with the option to purchase a single ride, starting at $2, through Lyft’s mobile ride-sharing app. There are over 300 docking stations available throughout the city, allowing users to travel across the Bay Area more efficiently.
The Capital Bikeshare, in Washington D.C. has a membership fee of $85 annually offering lower usage charges throughout the year. For the first 30 minutes a ride, members aren’t charged, they then receive a rate of $1.50 for the next 30, $3 for the third and finally an additional $6 for every other 30 minute period. For non-members, the first 30 minutes also has no charge but they experience higher fees for every 30 minutes after that. The higher usage fees are balanced out by lower costs at the start -- a daily Capital Bikeshare pass is only $8 and a monthly pass comes to $28.
Station based bike sharing can help bring a stable ROI for every bike since operational costs are low, and there is a minimal need for maintenance, relocation or charging. As dockless bikes continue to expand in the market, this model risks losing loyal users in the long-run.
Sponsored by Corporate
Some bike share programs operate in partnership with corporations who sponsor the vehicles. Operating like a standard bike share program, these vehicles operate in conjunction with the local municipalities.
In London, the city offers a public bicycle hire scheme funded by Santander UK. With more than 750 docking stations and 11,500 bikes available for hire around the city, users have easy access to the vehicles. The program operates 24 hours a day, year-round with an initial cost of 2 Euros for a daily trip, charging an additional 2 Euros per half hour after the first 30 minutes. Users have the option to hire a bike using their bank card at the docking station, or through the official mobile app.
This model is great for any operator that can find a reliable partner who is interested in establishing this type of deal, however, you still run the risk of losing that partner later on.
Scooter Sharing Services
The fastest growing trend in mobility is the advent of e-scooters. They are inexpensive, accessible through mobile apps similar to bike sharing and available in over 100 cities worldwide. According to the US National Association of City Transportation Officials, riders took 38.5 million trips on shared electric scooters in 2018 compared to the 36.5 million trips on docked bikes. The Boston Consulting Group estimates that the global e-scooter market will grow to US$50 billion by 2025, with approximately 50% of the users being located in Europe and the USA. Micro-mobility is quickly becoming the preferred method for short term travel and companies have already begun to emerge as leaders in the market.
Image source: nacto.org
Station Based
Similar to station based bikes, some e-scooter providers offer docking stations where the scooters can be unlocked through a mobile app and then returned later to any available docking station.
DASH Scooters operates out of Nashville, TN, offering docked e-scooters styled like vespas that can be rented at set rates through their mobile app. Starting at $40 for two hours, the rates increase based on time travelled and day of the week. The brand launched after the emergence of other leaders such as Bird, Lime and Spin, who have set the bar for innovation in e-scooters. Their app allows users to locate nearby docking stations where the scooters can be returned to at the end of a trip.
The best way for operators to get a high return on their business is to have a combination of station based and dockless scooters. This will help maintain growth over time, while keeping up the high demand.
Dockless Scooters
Leaders in the mobility industry have begun to focus on the possibilities of dockless scooters. This model involves e-scooters that do not require a docking stations, but instead can be rented from a designated location and then returned anywhere in another.
Spin operates in 62 cities and 20 campuses across the United States, offering fleets of electric scooters for easy, short term travel. Users are able to unlock the scooters through their mobile app, once the ride is complete they can leave the scooter at any designated location and the cost will appear on the app. Charges vary depending on the length of the ride.
This model is currently experiencing high demand due to its convenience and ease of access for users. There are a large amount of maintenance and operational costs required, similar to other dockless mobility services, as well as increasing regulations across cities.
Hotel Services
While the future of e-scooters in cities is an on-going process, the services have begun to expand into the tourism sector. Hotels and resorts have begun to offer scooter sharing services to allow guests to easily travel throughout the location, or explore local surroundings. The options vary between station based and dockless scooters, with pricing packages being dependent on the destination.
Rentskoot is a start-up in Finland that offers small fleets of electric scooters to hotels. Guests are then able to rent the scooters from the hotel premises as a unique way to experience the local neighbourhoods. The company provides operational training to staff, free maintenance and the ability to advertise the hotel’s logo on the scooters. Travelling at a maximum speed of 25 km/h, the compact size and battery life makes this service ideal for short term use within cities.
By focusing on hotels, this model allows businesses to be more innovative with their designs while keeping a consistent demand amongst the growing market. An agreement will need to be made with the hotel in advance regarding guidelines for use and overall costs distribution.
What does this mean for the future of mobility?
The car sharing industry is projected to reach a 16.5 billion USD revenue by 2024, with an annual increase of 34.8% every year. A trend towards electric vehicles is also predicted as the demand for lithium-ion batteries has been predicted to increase by 380% by 2025. In addition, the bike and scooter rental market is expected to grow from USD $2.5 billion in 2019 to USD $10.1 billion by 2027, at a CAGR of 18.9 percent. Dockless systems will most likely continue to dominate the market, as their flexibility and ease has historically made them the more popular option for riders.
Every sector of MaaS has one thing in common: the desire to make transportation easier for riders. Ultimately each service compliments the other by providing different options for mobility that can each work together to get a user from point A to point B and back. If someone arrives in the city by train, they could then travel to work using an e-bike or e-scooter to avoid traffic. When returning home late at night a car sharing service could be used to get them there in one trip. The hope is that the future of mobility will consist of a connected network designed for safe, efficient and easily accessible travel.
With this quickly growing market on the rise, there hasn’t been a better time to become a leader in mobility. Start your journey in 20 days with ATOM!
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How to launch a scooter sharing business in 2026: A step-by-step guide
🛴 Launching a scooter-sharing business takes much more than buying scooters and publishing an app. Choosing the right city, selecting reliable hardware, planning operations, and investing in software that can scale all play a major role in building a successful mobility business. This guide walks you through every stage of the process, from market research and business model selection to fleet management, customer acquisition, and how operators can launch in as little as 20 days.
August 6, 2026
min. read
Launching a scooter-sharing business no longer requires millions in funding or a team of software engineers. What once took large mobility companies years to build can now be launched in a matter of weeks. The challenge has shifted from technology to execution. Today's operators compete on reliability, operational efficiency, and the ability to work with cities rather than around them.
The opportunity, however, remains strong. According to the 2025 European Shared Mobility Index, Europe recorded more than 640 million shared mobility trips in 2024, with scooters remaining one of the largest mobility segments. For entrepreneurs looking to enter the market, the biggest advantage is that they no longer have to build everything from scratch. Proven business models, mature hardware, and established software platforms have made launching a scooter-sharing service much more accessible than it was just a few years ago.
Here's what to consider before launching your first fleet.
Step 1: Choose the right city
The success of a scooter-sharing business often depends more on the city than on the scooters themselves. Before investing in vehicles, take time to understand the local market. Does the city issue permits for scooter-sharing operators? Are there already established competitors? Is the population dense enough to support frequent short trips? Well-developed cycling infrastructure and strong public transport networks can also work in your favour by creating first and last mile travel opportunities. Competition isn't necessarily a bad sign. If multiple operators are already active, it usually means there is proven demand. The challenge is understanding whether there's room for another service and how your business can differentiate itself.
Step 2: Build a business model that fits your market
One of the first decisions is choosing how riders will use your service. Some operators choose a free-floating model, where scooters can be picked up and parked anywhere within a designated service area. Others prefer station-based systems that require trips to start and end at fixed locations. Free-floating fleets offer greater flexibility for users, while station-based systems usually provide more predictable operations, simpler charging logistics, and fewer parking issues.
Pricing deserves just as much attention. Many operators combine an unlock fee with per-minute pricing, while others introduce subscriptions, ride bundles, or daily passes for frequent users. It's also worth defining your target utilisation rate before purchasing vehicles. A fleet of 200 scooters averaging five trips per day is generally a healthier business than a fleet of 500 scooters averaging only one or two.
Step 3: Choose hardware that will last
Buying scooters is only one part of the investment. Operators should look beyond purchase price and evaluate durability, battery capacity, weather resistance, maintenance requirements, spare part availability, and the total cost of ownership over several years.
The hardware inside each scooter is equally important. GPS tracking, remote locking, battery monitoring, vehicle diagnostics, and theft protection all depend on reliable IoT connectivity. Many newer operators also choose swappable battery systems because they reduce downtime and allow batteries to be replaced on the street instead of transporting scooters back to a warehouse for charging.
Choosing hardware that integrates smoothly with your software platform will make expansion much easier later on.
Step 4: Select software that can grow with your business
The customer usually sees only the mobile app, but software runs almost every part of a scooter-sharing business. Beyond booking and payments, operators need tools for fleet management, pricing, subscriptions, maintenance scheduling, customer support, analytics, reporting, and day-to-day administration. As fleets grow, managing these processes manually quickly becomes unrealistic. When comparing software providers, look beyond the list of features. Consider how well the platform integrates with your hardware, whether new vehicle types can be added later, and how much of the daily operational work can be automated, what other operators are saying about the software.
Platforms such as ATOM Mobility's vehicle-sharing software bring rider apps, fleet management, payments, maintenance workflows, and analytics together in one system, allowing operators to manage the business without relying on multiple disconnected tools.
Step 5: Think about your first riders before launch day
Successful operators usually spend weeks preparing their first marketing campaigns before the fleet goes live. Referral programmes can encourage existing users to invite friends, while partnerships with universities, hotels, offices, residential developments, and local businesses help introduce the service to potential riders. Introductory discounts often work well during launch, but long-term success depends on giving people a reason to keep coming back after the promotion ends.
Step 6: Prepare your operations before the first ride
Many mobility businesses don't struggle because demand is low – they struggle because operations become difficult to manage as the fleet grows. Before launch, operators should already have clear procedures covering:
- vehicle inspections
- charging and battery swaps
- maintenance and repairs
- fleet balancing
- customer support
- incident reporting
It is also worth deciding when operational action should be triggered. For example, at what battery level should a scooter be collected? How many inactive hours should pass before a vehicle is relocated? When should damaged scooters automatically be removed from service? Answering these questions early helps create consistent operations as the business grows.
How long does it actually take to launch?
Building custom mobility software from scratch can easily take 6-12 months or more, particularly when mobile apps, payments, IoT integrations, and fleet management systems all need to be developed from 0. Custom mobility software also costs 10 times more and may not be delivered in time.
Using a white-label platform shortens that process considerably. With ATOM Mobility's vehicle-sharing platform, operators can often launch in as little as 20 days, depending on branding, hardware integrations, payment setup, and operational readiness. That allows founders to spend less time developing software and more time preparing the business itself.
Launching a scooter-sharing business has never been easier from a technical perspective, but long-term success still depends on execution. Choosing the right city, investing in reliable hardware, selecting software that can grow with the business, and establishing strong operational processes all have a much bigger impact than simply deploying more scooters. The operators that build those foundations early are usually the ones best positioned to scale in the years that follow.
Want to learn more?
For entrepreneurs who want to dive deeper, ATOM Academy (https://www.atommobility.com/academy) is a free online learning platform created by mobility industry experts. It includes practical video courses covering topics such as:
- How to launch a shared mobility business
- Fleet operations and maintenance best practices
- Pricing and business models
- Marketing, support and customer acquisition
- Mobility software tutorials and platform walkthroughs
- Industry trends and expert insights
Whether you're preparing to launch your first fleet or looking to optimise an existing operation, the Academy provides practical guidance based on real-world experience from hundreds of mobility projects worldwide.
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New feature alert: Vehicle availability calendar for P2P rentals
📆🚗 Managing vehicle availability is now easier than ever. Each rental vehicle can now have its own availability schedule, allowing operators or vehicle owners to define exactly when it can be booked. Keep vehicles available 24/7, create recurring weekly schedules, configure multiple unavailable periods, and make one-time availability changes directly from the calendar - all while preventing conflicts with existing bookings.
August 4, 2026
min. read
Managing vehicle availability has become much more flexible. With the new Vehicle availability calendar, every rental vehicle now has its own availability schedule, allowing operators or vehicle owners to define exactly when a vehicle can be booked.
By default, vehicles remain available 24/7, but operators can switch to a custom schedule and configure recurring unavailable periods or make one-time availability adjustments directly from the calendar.
Key capabilities
📅 24/7 availability by default
Newly added vehicles are automatically available around the clock. No additional setup is required.
🔄 Recurring weekly availability schedules
Configure custom weekly availability for each individual vehicle by defining one or multiple unavailable periods for every day of the week.
Navigation:
Vehicles → Select vehicle → Edit → Set availability
⚙️ Multiple unavailable periods per day
Need to block vehicles for maintenance, charging, cleaning, or personal use? Add as many unavailable time slots as needed for each day.
📆 One-time availability changes
Override the recurring schedule for a specific date without affecting the permanent weekly configuration. Perfect for holidays, temporary maintenance, or special events.
Navigation:
Vehicles → Calendar view → Click any available or unavailable time slot to add or edit
🔴 Visual availability overview
Unavailable periods are highlighted directly in the vehicle calendar, making it easy to identify when a vehicle can or cannot be booked.
🛡️ Booking conflict protection
To prevent scheduling issues, the system validates every availability change. If the selected period overlaps with an existing booking, the update cannot be saved and the operator will receive an error informing them that a booking already exists for that time.
How it works
The feature combines two layers of availability:
- Recurring schedule – the vehicle's permanent weekly availability pattern.
- Calendar exceptions – one-time changes that apply only to a specific date without modifying the recurring schedule.
For example, if a vehicle is normally unavailable every Wednesday from 10:00–12:00, you can temporarily extend, edit or reduce availability for a single Wednesday while leaving all future Wednesdays unchanged.
Why it matters
P2P rental businesses often manage vehicles with different owner preferences and operating hours. This feature gives operators the flexibility to support virtually any availability scenario while keeping bookings accurate and preventing scheduling conflicts.
Whether you're managing a small peer-to-peer fleet or thousands of rental vehicles, the new vehicle availability calendar makes availability management significantly easier and more reliable.
Driver App demo credentials - Email: test@atom.com, Password: driver
