How profitable is scooter sharing business?
March 7, 2020
min. read
The mobile sharing industry is projected to grow at a rapid rate over the next several years. The economic shift towards micro mobility has shown that bike and scooter use is going to grow from USD $2.5 billion in 2019 to USD $10.1 billion by 2027. With an increasing demand for affordable mobility services, industry leaders are making adjustments to their financial models to accommodate changing regulations, as well as, growing production costs.
We put together a breakdown of the expenses that are currently going in to establishing a profitable MaaS company along with some other considerations to keep in mind.
What are the current pricing levels for leaders in Scooter and Bike Sharing?
The pricing levels for different services being offered around the world vary based upon initial upfront costs, cost per allotted time and total ride duration. These prices are also subject to change depending on the regulatory requirements of each location.
Scooter sharing:
Bike sharing:
At ATOM Mobility we have a specific calculation to determine the total income a scooter or bike sharing service makes based on ride time and pricing fees. This allows adjustments to be made for the different price levels each company offers.
Income Equation: (Unlock Fee + (Average Ride Time X Minutes)) = x
x = Average Price per Ride
How does vehicle ridership impact the financial model?
Ridership is impacted by a multitude of factors, including availability to travel lanes, density of charging/docking stations, level of integration within the overall transportation network, along with the extent of rider outreach and vendor education. Vehicle use rates tend to increase based on volume of available scooters/bikes and ease of access to stations. The systems with larger fleets, as well as wider spread sharing infrastructure tend to experience higher ridership.
According to research conducted by the National Association of City Transportation Officials, scooters are making up to two times more rides per vehicle per day compared to bikes. Bike services complete anywhere from 0.5 to 2.5 rides per day at an average of 1, with trends showing a shift away from traditional pedal bicycles as the interest in e-vehicles continues to grow.
Image source: nacto.org
The region where services are being offered can also influence ridership. Across our partners at ATOM Mobility for scooters, we are seeing from 1.8 to even 5 rides per vehicle per day, with even higher rates in colder regions where the proper infrastructure is in place.
Image source: City of Chicago, E-scooter Pilot Evaluation
An evaluation of the City of Chicago’s E-scooter pilot program found that over time the number of trips per day decreased from an average of 3.7 to 2.5. This aligns with the seasonality of mobility vehicles, which has been proven to impact ridership. Our research found that there can be decreases between 30 to 50 percent during the off-season.
The average rides per day you can count on for bike sharing services is 0.5 to 2.5, and 1.8 to 5 for scooter sharing services.
What additional factors need to be taken into consideration?
Once we have determined how many rides are being taken and the average price, we can calculate the average income per vehicle per month and outline cost positions. To begin growing revenue, mobility companies need to determine ways to extend the lifespan of their vehicles or off-set the costs once the limit is met. These factors are a major component in developing a successful financial model. In addition, it’s important to review the other expenses that impact vehicle maintenance and usage when constructing an accurate forecast.
Seasonality
Seasonality refers to the time of year a service operates as a result of environmental or weather factors. For mobility services, the usage season usually begins when the average temperature in a month is +10 Celsius or more.
Rides Per Vehicle Per Day
The number of rides each vehicle is taking in a day will impact both revenue but also maintenance and lifespan costs.
Rides
The rate for each ride will need to be considered when developing an overall financial plan for a company.
Maintenance Costs (ex. 13 percent of cost per ride)
Maintenance of the vehicle fleets is required and may vary depending on usage, as well as vehicle model.
Charging Costs (ex. 21 percent of cost per ride)
Whether the fleet uses docking stations or offers free floating services, the cost of charging the vehicles is necessary for continued use.
Bank Commission (ex. 3 percent cost per ride)
This includes any of the banking fees that are acquired.
Marketing (ex. 4 percent cost per ride)
Promoting the services being offered is an essential expense for business growth and expansion within the market.
Customer Support (ex. 5 percent cost per ride)
Most mobility services are offered through mobile apps that require regular support from customer service representatives to resolve customer inquiries and help with reputation management for the company.
IT System Support (ex. 5 percent cost per ride)
These services include IoT systems, sim cards, data, software and other technological requirements needed for the vehicles to operate.
Additional Costs (ex. 3 percent cost per ride)
Mobility companies like any other vehicle service are subject to additional costs such as insurance, city permits and/or other resources.
Our Excel-based Model
To help determine the overall impact of fluctuating costs for scooter and bike services, we developed a financial model that breaks down costs based on a percentage. Through this Excel-based Model we are able to maintain a proportionate evaluation of the expenses for each service.
source: ATOM Mobility
To make calculations we assume an average ride time of 20 minutes then apply that to our Excel-based Model. Costs are shown as a percent from the ride price. Since cost and prices differ country by country, this model allows for the proportions to remain the same. For accurate forecast planning, we recommend using the average of two to four rides per vehicle per day on a period of wholesale. To learn more about our model, please email us.
Where do we go from here?
Mobility as a service is expected to continue growing as additional opportunities for expansion and profitability open in the market. At ATOM Mobility, we want to help your business thrive in the exciting new world of transportation services. There has not been a better time to join other industry leaders than right now. Reach out to us today so we can start building for the future, starting with our scooter sharing software.
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Blog
ATOM Mobility API: Build your own mobility experience on top of a proven platform
⚡ Launch faster and integrate anywhere with ATOM Mobility API. Build your own mobility experience without rebuilding the backend. Learn how ATOM Mobility API lets you integrate, customize, and scale faster.
April 2, 2026
min. read
Shared mobility is moving beyond standalone apps. Operators today are expected to integrate into existing ecosystems - from hotel and airport platforms to corporate travel tools and MaaS apps. Building all of that from scratch is slow, expensive, and hard to scale.
That’s why ATOM Mobility offers a fully developed OpenAPI - allowing you to build your own mobility experience on top of a proven backend.
From app to platform
Most mobility solutions are still built as closed systems. That creates friction: integrations take time, custom features require heavy development, and expanding into new channels becomes complicated.
An API-first approach changes this.
Instead of rebuilding core functionality, operators can use ATOM Mobility as the underlying system and build their own layer on top. Booking flows, payments, vehicle control, and operational logic are already there - accessible via API.
What this enables in practice
With API access, mobility can be embedded directly where users already are.
- A ride can be booked from a hotel website. A car can be unlocked through a partner app. A custom frontend can be built for a specific market without touching the backend.
- At the same time, operators can connect their own tools: from internal dashboards to finance and reporting systems (for example, Power BI) creating a more automated and scalable operation.
The result is not just a mobility app, but a flexible system that can adapt to different markets, partners, and use cases.
What you can manage with ATOM Mobility API
🚗 Booking & ride management - search vehicles, reserve and unlock, start and end trips, manage ride status.
💳 Payments & users - create and manage users, handle payments and pricing, access booking history.
🛴 Fleet & operations - vehicle status and location, zones and restrictions, pricing configuration.
🔌 Integrations - connect third-party apps, sync with external systems, automate workflows and more...
Few use cases we already see
1. Embedded mobility in partner platforms
Booking directly from (no app download needed):
- hotel websites
- airport kiosks
- corporate travel portals
- MAAS apps (such as Umob)
2. Custom frontends and apps
Operators build:
- branded web apps
- niche UX flows
- country-specific experiences
All powered by ATOM Mobility backend.
3. IoT and hardware integrations
- sync vehicle data
- control locking/unlocking
4. Automation & internal tools
- reporting dashboards
- finance automation
- customer communication flows
Instead of spending months building core systems, operators can use ATOM API and focus on what actually drives growth - distribution and partnerships.
Interested to learn more or try it out?
Learn more:
https://www.atommobility.com/api
Explore the API:
https://app.rideatom.com/api/docs
Blog
How to fully automate maintenance tasks and alerts for rental fleets
🚗 Scaling a rental fleet without automating maintenance? That’s risky. Spreadsheets and routine checks might work at 20 vehicles, but once you grow past 50, things start slipping. More operators are using IoT telematics, automatic error codes, and mileage-based service alerts to catch issues early and keep vehicles available. See how rental fleet maintenance automation helps you scale without chaos.
March 31, 2026
min. read
How to automate maintenance alerts for rental fleets
Rental fleet maintenance automation is becoming essential for operators who want to scale without increasing operational complexity. Whether you manage cars, scooters, bikes, or mixed fleets, manual inspections and spreadsheets quickly fail once your fleet grows beyond a few dozen vehicles.
Breakdowns, missed services, and delayed repairs directly affect uptime, revenue, and customer satisfaction. Modern fleet technology makes it possible to automate maintenance using IoT telematics, onboard sensors, automatic error codes, mileage-based triggers, and structured dashboards.
Why manual maintenance tracking does not scale
In small fleets, maintenance is reactive. A customer reports an issue. A staff member checks the vehicle. Someone creates a task manually. This works for 20 vehicles, but for 200 it’s just too much work.
As fleets expand, issues are discovered too late, standards vary between locations, and staff spend more time coordinating than fixing. Rental fleet maintenance automation shifts operations from reactive repairs to preventive, system-driven workflows.
Using IoT telematics to monitor vehicles in real time
IoT telematics devices collect live data such as location, battery level, ignition status, engine health, and mileage. In car rental and car sharing fleets, telematics also track fuel levels, driving behaviour, and diagnostic information.
Instead of waiting for user reports, the system can trigger alerts automatically. For example:
- when a battery drops below 20 percent
- when a vehicle reaches a service mileage threshold
- when a vehicle leaves a defined service area
- when the vehicle receives a few negative reviews
This data feeds directly into the fleet platform, where workflows assign tasks automatically, reducing response times and eliminating internal coordination delays.
Onboard sensors and automatic error codes
Modern vehicles generate diagnostic trouble codes when systems fail. In connected fleets, these codes appear instantly in the operator dashboard.
If a vehicle reports a brake or engine warning, the system can block it from new bookings, notify technicians, and create a repair task automatically. In micromobility fleets, IoT modules detect tilt events, battery degradation, failed unlock attempts, or controller errors.
Digital reporting further improves vehicle availability. ATOM Mobility’s vehicle damage management feature shows how structured workflows reduce downtime and improve transparency.
Mileage-based and time-based service automation
Rule-based servicing is one of the most effective elements of rental fleet maintenance automation.
Operators can set simple service rules, such as:
- changing oil every 15,000 km
- checking brakes every 20,000 km
- running a safety check every six months
When a vehicle reaches one of these limits, the system creates a task automatically. The vehicle can also be temporarily removed from booking until the service is done. This becomes especially important when operating in multiple cities, because it keeps safety standards consistent across the entire fleet.
Maintenance dashboards and task automation
A maintenance dashboard centralises alerts, open issues, and upcoming service requirements.
With structured task management, teams can assign jobs, set priorities, track resolution times, and analyse recurring issues. ATOM Mobility’s Task Manager feature enables operators to convert alerts directly into trackable actions within one system. Alerts that turn into tasks automatically make it clear what needs fixing and when it should be handled.
From reactive to predictive maintenance
With enough historical data, fleets can move beyond fixed intervals. Operators can identify patterns such as faster brake wear in specific models or higher damage rates in certain areas. Predictive maintenance allows servicing based on actual usage intensity, reducing unnecessary costs while preventing major failures.
For operators growing from 50 to 500 vehicles, automation delivers clear advantages:
- higher uptime, because issues are detected earlier
- lower operational costs, since preventive repairs are cheaper than breakdowns
- improved safety and compliance, with no missed service intervals
- better customer experience, with fewer malfunctioning vehicles
- clearer performance metrics for management decisions
Automation supports maintenance teams with clearer priorities and better data.
Building the right automation stack
Effective rental fleet maintenance automation typically requires:
- IoT hardware
- a fleet management platform with automated alerts
- configurable service rules
- a task dashboard
- task automation logic
- analytics tools
When these components are connected, maintenance becomes scalable and controlled instead of reactive. This is especially important for operators running scooter, bike, car sharing, or rental businesses, where uptime directly impacts revenue and retention.
Rental fleet maintenance automation makes maintenance more organised and easier to manage as you grow. IoT telematics, automatic diagnostics, mileage alerts, and task dashboards help create clear processes that support expansion.
For rental and shared mobility operators who want to grow steadily, automating maintenance is essential. It helps keep operations stable and supports long-term profitability.
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