Insights and news from the ATOM Mobility team

Shared mobility continues to evolve quickly. At ATOM Connect 2026 in Riga, operators, technology providers, and industry experts came together to discuss where the market is heading and what will define successful operators in the coming years. The discussions covered everything from fleet economics and regulation to AI, insurance, MaaS, and operator growth stories.

One thing became increasingly clear throughout the event: The industry is entering a different phase. Growth is still happening, but the rules for winning are changing.

🚲 E-bikes are becoming the core shared mobility asset

For years, shared e-scooters dominated headlines and rapid expansion stories. Now the conversation is gradually shifting.

Research presented by Frost & Sullivan suggests that e-bikes are increasingly becoming the preferred shared micromobility mode in many markets because of stronger unit economics, lighter regulatory friction, and changing rider behavior.

Some numbers presented:

Average lifetime gross profit per shared scooter: ~$2,073
Average lifetime gross profit per shared e-bike: ~$4,336
Average scooter lifespan: ~3 years
Average e-bike lifespan: ~4 years

Despite higher vehicle costs, e-bikes generate stronger long-term economics. We also saw examples from operators:

Forest increased its e-bike fleet by 34%, while more cities increasingly support bike-focused mobility systems.

The interesting part is that e-bikes are gradually shifting from “fun transportation” toward everyday commuting infrastructure.

📈 Growth continues while fleet size remains relatively stable

One surprising trend discussed during the event was that the European shared micromobility market continues growing despite relatively stable fleet sizes.

Normally, growth comes from deploying more vehicles. Now something different appears to be happening:

Better utilization
Increased rider adoption
Improved retention
Subscription models

This is an important shift because it suggests the market is becoming more efficient. Instead of flooding cities with additional vehicles, operators are increasingly focused on generating more value from existing fleets.

💰 Subscriptions are becoming increasingly important

Historically, shared mobility relied heavily on per-ride revenue. That model is also changing.

Frost & Sullivan highlighted subscriptions as one of the strongest trends for 2026, with subscription-heavy models showing positive profitability dynamics. This aligns with what many operators shared during discussions. Subscriptions bring several advantages:

Higher retention
Predictable recurring revenue
Lower customer acquisition pressure
Better ride frequency

The industry may gradually move toward a model that looks more like SaaS and memberships rather than only pay-per-use transportation.

🤖 AI is moving from experiments to core operations

AI was one of the strongest themes throughout the event. Only a few years ago, AI in mobility often meant pilots and interesting demos. Now operators increasingly use it for daily operations. Examples discussed included:

Demand forecasting
Rebalancing optimization
Predictive maintenance
Safety monitoring
Fraud detection
Dynamic insurance pricing
Battery optimization

Frost & Sullivan identified AI-powered demand anticipation as one of the highest-impact trends for operators in 2026.

Yuri Narozniak from datafolio also shared examples where AI predicts high-risk insurance zones and dynamically adjusts risk models based on ride behavior. Datafolio additionally introduced integrated rider insurance options, with approximately 25% long-term rider adoption.

🌍 Regulation is increasingly determining market strategy

Regulation has become one of the biggest variables affecting operator success. Different cities continue taking very different approaches. Examples discussed included:

Positive developments:

UK extending e-scooter trials until 2028
Netherlands approving road-legal e-scooters
Oslo doubling scooter capacity

Restrictions:

− Prague banning shared scooters

− Italy tightening compliance requirements

Cities want fewer operators, stronger compliance, and more accountability.

Winning a market increasingly depends on safety records, operational quality, data transparency, compliance history rather than simply deploying larger fleets.

📱 MaaS continues connecting fragmented mobility services

Raymon Pouwels shared the growth story behind umob and the continued expansion of Mobility-as-a-Service. The long-term vision remains simple: One interface, multiple transportation services.

Users increasingly expect transportation to behave similarly to digital services: Open one app -> See all options -> Choose what works best.

The market continues moving toward stronger integration between operators and MaaS platforms.

🏆 What separates operators who will win in 2026?

One slide from Frost & Sullivan summarized it particularly well:

"The operators still standing in 2026 didn't win on product - they won on discipline, selectivity, and city relationships."

Looking across both research and operator stories, common patterns repeatedly appeared:

✔ Lean and efficient operations
✔ Strategic market selection
✔ Diversified revenue streams
✔ Strong partnerships
✔ Data-driven decisions
✔ Safety and compliance focus

Thank you again to all speakers, partners, and participants who joined us at ATOM Connect 2026 and contributed to the discussions. We are excited to continue building the future of mobility together.

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Want to continue the conversation? 🚀

Our team will be attending Micromobility Europe (June 2-3, Berlin) and we'll have a booth there. If you're attending too, come say hello, grab a coffee, and let's talk mobility ☕

Lime improved GPS. But parking compliance may need more than that

Lime improved GPS from 12m to ~1.5m accuracy - a big step forward for micromobility. 🚀 But parking compliance isn’t just about knowing where a vehicle is - it’s about proving it’s parked correctly. Real-world pilots (like Prague) show that physical verification (e.g. Bluetooth beacons) can significantly outperform GPS when it comes to actual compliance.

March 25, 2026

Lime just raised the bar for GPS-based parking compliance. But the bigger question is this: when cities want verified parking, is better GPS enough, or do operators need physical proof? That question matters more than ever.

Lime’s new LimeBike rollout in the UK comes with a major location upgrade. Lime says its new bikes can locate themselves to within 1.5 metres, a significant improvement from the roughly 12.3 metres typical in dense urban environments (this means that based on GPS data, a vehicle can be up to 12 meters farther or closer than the reported GPS location. Now this error is just 1.5 meters). That is real progress.

Lime’s upgrade is a meaningful step forward for GPS-based positioning. At the same time, cities are increasingly looking beyond positioning accuracy toward verifiable parking compliance.

Why this matters

Cities are becoming much less tolerant of parking disorder. In Kensington & Chelsea, the council seized 1,000 rental e-bikes by November 2025 and collected more than £81,000 in charges from operators.

That is the real backdrop for every operator today:

stricter enforcement
more political pressure
less room for ambiguity

So yes, better GPS is good news. But it does not automatically mean cities will see parking as “solved.” A vehicle may be near a bay, beside a bay, or slightly outside it. In dense urban areas, that difference matters. Traditional GPS struggles there because of building interference, blocked satellite visibility, and signal reflections.

So the strategic question is no longer:
“Can we improve GPS?”

It is:
“What kind of system gives cities enough confidence to enforce parking rules fairly and consistently?”

What the Prague pilot showed

A European Commission-backed pilot in Prague tested a different approach: Bluetooth-based parking verification.

Across 25 parking locations and 989 parking events, the results were clear:

90.6% success rate for SparkPark (Bluetooth infrastructure)
38.4% success rate for GPS/GNSS positioning
Technology readiness advanced from TRL 6 to 8/9

When the goal is verified parking inside a defined zone, infrastructure-based validation can significantly outperform vehicle-only (GPS) positioning.

GPS improvement vs physical verification

Lime’s move shows how far vehicle-side intelligence is improving. SparkPark points to a different model: verify the parking zone itself.

That distinction matters.

GPS estimates where the vehicle is
Infrastructure confirms whether it is correctly parked

Those are fundamentally different approach.

Why cities may prefer the second path

One of the key findings from the Prague pilot is not just technical - it is institutional. Cities often rely on operator-provided data to assess compliance. That creates a trust gap. What cities increasingly want:

independent verification
reliable compliance data
less reliance on operator-reported positioning

This is why the conversation is shifting from “better accuracy” → “verifiable proof.”

What this means for ATOM Mobility partners

Parking compliance is becoming more important than ever:

permit approvals
permit renewals
daily operational performance

Operators who can demonstrate verifiable compliance may have a clear advantage.

With ATOM Mobility, partners can explore:

integration-ready compliance workflows as ATOM Mobility already implemented bluetooth-based parking verification together with SparkPark
futher support for infrastructure-based validation like SparkPark
10x faster deployment without full fleet replacement

Instead of waiting for hardware cycles, operators can move faster and adapt to changing city expectations.

Lime deserves credit for pushing GPS accuracy forward. It is a meaningful step for the industry. But the Prague pilot highlights something equally important:

Micromobility parking may not be solved by better positioning alone. It may also require verification.

Not:
“Where is the vehicle likely parked?”

But:
“Can this parking event be verified with confidence?”

Final thought?

The future of parking compliance is likely evolving across two complementary paths:

Path 1: improve GPS accuracy
Path 2: implement physical verification

The first makes parking smarter. The second makes it more reliable and verifiable.

And in regulated urban mobility, confidence and trust often matter as much as precision.

Want to explore how ATOM Mobility can support stricter parking compliance workflows and how SparkPark technology works alongside the ATOM Mobility platform? Get in touch with our team to discuss integration options and city-facing parking control setups.

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Sources:

Lime GPS upgrade announcement:
https://www.smartcitiesworld.net/micromobility/new-lime-bike-upgrade-to-hit-uk-streets-this-month-12568

West Midlands LimeBike rollout:
https://www.wmca.org.uk/news/new-limebike-to-launch-in-west-midlands/

Kensington & Chelsea enforcement data:
https://www.rbkc.gov.uk/newsroom/1000-e-bikes-seized-borough

Prague SparkPark pilot (EIT Urban Mobility):
https://marketplace.eiturbanmobility.eu/best-practices/high-precision-parking-for-shared-micromobility-in-prague

SparkPark:
https://sparkpark.no

ATOM Connect 2026: Bringing the shared micromobility industry together

The micromobility industry doesn’t need another generic mobility conference. 🚫🎤 It needs real conversations between operators who are actually in the field. ⚙️ That’s exactly what ATOM Connect 2026 is built for. 🎯🤝

February 25, 2026

The shared mobility industry is evolving rapidly. Operators are navigating scaling challenges, regulatory complexity, hardware decisions, fleet optimization, and new integration models, all while aiming for sustainable growth.

That’s exactly why ATOM Mobility is organizing ATOM Connect 2026.

Our previous edition of ATOM Connect brought together professionals from the car sharing and rental industry for focused, high-quality discussions and networking. This year, we are narrowing the focus and dedicating the entire event to one fast-moving segment of the industry: shared micromobility.

ATOM Connect 2026 is designed specifically for operators, partners, and decision-makers working in shared micromobility. It is not a broad mobility conference or a public exhibition. It is a curated space for industry professionals to exchange practical experience, insights, and lessons learned.

On May 14th, 2026 in Riga, we will once again bring the community together, this time with a clear focus on micromobility.

What to expect

This year’s agenda will address the real operational and strategic questions shaping shared micromobility today:

Scaling fleets sustainably
Multi-vehicle operations beyond scooters
Regulatory cooperation and long-term city partnerships
Data-driven fleet optimization
MaaS integration and ecosystem collaboration
Marketing and automation for growth

As usual, we aim to host both local and international operators from smaller, fast-growing fleets to established large-scale players alongside hardware providers and ecosystem partners.

On stage, you’ll hear from leading shared mobility companies - including Segway on hardware partnerships, Umob on MaaS integration, Anadue on data-driven fleet intelligence, Elerent on multi-vehicle operational realities and more insightful discussions.

The goal is simple: meaningful discussions with people who understand the operational realities of the industry.

A curated, industry-focused event

ATOM Connect is free to attend, but participation is industry-focused (each submission is manually reviewed and verified). We are intentionally keeping the audience relevant and aligned to ensure high-quality conversations and valuable networking.

If you work in shared micromobility and would like to join the event, you can find the full agenda and register here:
👉 https://www.atommobility.com/atom-connect-2026

In the coming weeks, we will be revealing more speakers and additional agenda updates. We look forward to bringing the industry together again.

Unmet demand heatmap: Turn missed searches into measurable revenue growth

📉 Every unmet search is lost revenue. The unmet demand heatmap shows where users actively searched for vehicles but none were available - giving operators clear, search-based demand signals to rebalance fleets 🚚, improve conversions 📈, and grow smarter 🧠.

February 17, 2026

Fleet operators don’t lose revenue because of lack of demand - they lose it because demand appears in the wrong place at the wrong time. That’s exactly the problem the Unmet demand heatmap solves.

This new analytics layer from ATOM Mobility shows where users actively searched for vehicles but couldn’t find any within reach. Not guesses. Not assumptions. Real, proven demand currently left on the table.

What is the unmet demand heatmap?

The unmet demand heatmap highlights locations where:

A user opened the app
Actively searched for available vehicles
No vehicle was found within the defined search radius

In other words: high-intent users who wanted to ride, but couldn’t. Unlike generic “app open” data, unmet demand is recorded only when a real vehicle search happens, making this one of the most actionable datasets for operators.

Why unmet demand is more valuable than app opens

Many analytics tools track where users open the app (ATOM Mobility provides this data too). That’s useful - but incomplete. Unmet demand answers a much stronger question:
Where did users try to ride and failed? That difference matters.

Unmet demand data is:

✅ Intent-driven (search-based, not passive)

✅ Directly tied to lost revenue

✅ Immediately actionable for rebalancing and expansion

✅ Credible for discussions with cities and partners

How it works

Here’s how the logic is implemented under the hood:

1. Search-based trigger. Unmet demand is recorded only when a user performs a vehicle search. No search = no data point.

2. Distance threshold. If no vehicle is available within 1,000 meters, unmet demand is logged.

The radius can be customized per operator
Adaptable for dense cities vs. suburban or rural areas

3. Shared + private fleet support. The feature tracks unmet demand for:

Shared fleets
Private / restricted fleets (e.g. corporate, residential, campus)

This gives operators a full picture across all use cases.

4. GPS validation. Data is collected only when:

GPS is enabled
Location data is successfully received

This ensures accuracy and avoids noise.

Smart data optimization (no inflated demand)

To prevent multiple searches from the same user artificially inflating demand, the system applies intelligent filtering:

- After a location is stored, a 30-minute cooldown is activated
- If the same user searches again within 30 minutes And within 100 meters of the previous location → the record is skipped
- After 30 minutes, a new record is stored - even if the location is unchanged

Result: clean, realistic demand signals, not spammy heatmaps.

Why this matters for operators

📈 Increase revenue

Unmet demand shows exactly where vehicles are missing allowing you to:

Rebalance fleets faster
Expand into proven demand zones
Reduce failed searches and lost rides

🚚 Smarter rebalancing

Instead of guessing where to move vehicles, teams can prioritize:

High-intent demand hotspots
Time-based demand patterns
Areas with repeated unmet searches

🏙 Stronger city conversations

Unmet demand heatmaps are powerful evidence for:

Permit negotiations
Zone expansions
Infrastructure requests
Data-backed urban planning discussions

📊 Higher conversion rates

Placing vehicles where users actually search improves:

Search → ride conversion
User satisfaction
Retention over time

Built for real operational use

The new unmet demand heatmap is designed to work alongside other analytics layers, including:

- Popular routes heatmap
- Open app heatmap
- Start & end locations heatmap

Operators can also:

Toggle zone visibility across heatmaps
Adjust time periods (performance-optimized)
Combine insights for strategic fleet planning

From missed demand to competitive advantage

Every unmet search is a signal. Every signal is a potential ride. Every ride is revenue. With the unmet demand heatmap, operators stop guessing and start placing vehicles exactly where demand already exists.

👉 If you want to see how unmet demand can unlock growth for your fleet, book a demo with ATOM Mobility and explore how advanced heatmaps turn data into decisions.

🚀 New feature alert: Web-booker for ride-hailing and taxi operations

🚕 Web-booker is a lightweight ride-hail widget that lets users book rides directly from a website or mobile browser - no app install required. It reduces booking friction, supports hotel and partner demand, and keeps every ride fully synced with the taxi operator’s app and dashboard.

February 9, 2026