One Reason Why Shared Mobility Isn’t More Prevalent
Summary
Psychological factors play a strong role in people’s decision-making process on what mode of transportation to take. As a result, this helps explain why shared mobility services still face a low adoption rate in North America.
Specifically, humans inherently have cognitive biases that impact their decision-making. In the context of new mobility offerings, there is a tendency to accept and prefer the status quo, whether that means choosing to drive a personal vehicle or take public transportation. There is a barrier to accepting new products and services because of the endowment effect, which is when individuals prefer what is already in their possession. As a result, a new mobility option would not be seriously considered unless an individual had a negative experience with their personal vehicle, such as having high insurance rates or an old vehicle that cost a lot to maintain.

At its core, we believe one of the simplest ways to get a message across is by building a habit and helping users understand the benefits in a way they will engage in. This means shared mobility operators need to understand user needs and educate accordingly. There is often a gap between product features and consumer needs. What the features include may not relate to the consumer, or they may have difficulty understanding the application or use-case. As a result, mobility operators need to deeply understand how their technology will fill an unmet need. One of the most effective ways to communicate the technology is through storytelling. Storytelling gives you the ability to engage users on an emotional level and guide them past any preconceived notions they may have regarding shared mobility. Education, as a result, touches on practical standpoints as well as emotional benefits for a user.
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