Every morning, far from the hustle and bustle of major cities, residents in rural and low-density communities face a less visible but persistent challenge—accessing reliable transportation.
While the tranquility and remoteness of rural life are part of its charm, they come at a cost—limited mobility options that impact nearly every aspect of daily living. From healthcare appointments to education and employment, the ability to access essential services is crucial to the well-being and economic vitality of rural communities. Yet, without adequate transportation, many residents are left disconnected, making shared mobility solutions more critical than ever.
At movmi, we believe that equitable mobility means ensuring that smaller communities have access to sustainable, flexible, and cost-effective transportation options. In 2025, we’re prioritizing our work in expanding shared mobility to underserved areas—and we’ve already seen firsthand how solutions like station-based scooters, micromobility, and multimodal integration can transform rural transportation.
Here’s why shared mobility is not just an urban convenience—it’s a necessity for rural communities:
Filling the Transportation Gap
Many smaller towns lack access to buses, trains, or even rideshare options, making even basic trips to work, school, or medical appointments a challenge. Without reliable transportation, residents face isolation, limited job opportunities, and reduced quality of life. As a result, fewer than 2% of commuters in rural and remote regions in Canada use public transit to get to work, primarily due to a lack of available services.
This transportation gap extends beyond commuting—it significantly impacts access to essential services, particularly healthcare. Rural residents face greater challenges in reaching medical facilities, with limited mobility options worsening healthcare disparities. Additionally, social isolation is a growing concern, particularly for seniors. While older adults in both urban and rural settings are at risk, those in rural areas—where transportation options are scarce—face even greater barriers to social participation and community engagement.
This was exactly the case for communities in the South Okanagan, where public transit was severely limited or completely unavailable in some towns.
Micromobility in South Okanagan: Sparrow Scooters
Known for its picturesque vineyards, rolling hills, and vibrant arts scene, the South Okanagan in British Columbia has a laid-back yet vibrant community. With sprawling landscapes and dispersed populations, accessing essential services and opportunities becomes difficult without a private car.
“All of our communities—Penticton, Oliver, Osoyoos—have very limited transportation options. Some have no public transportation at all, maybe one taxi service. For us to be there, to connect residents to their towns and visitors to local businesses, is almost detrimental for keeping things flowing.” – Josh Boileau, Sparrow Scooters
Enter Sparrow, Canada’s first fully station-based shared micromobility operator. Launched in 2021 as a pilot program in collaboration with the local municipality in the South Okanagan, Sparrow has since grown to three municipalities while scaling its fleet to 3X in three years. Its Vancouver-based founders wanted to establish a profitable shared mobility business model while making it enjoyable for users and creating a viable alternative to traveling by personal cars especially in smaller cities.
Since launching in 2021, Sparrow has expanded to three municipalities, tripled its fleet size, and seen a fourfold increase in the number of trips taken.
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Reducing Car Dependency & Ownership Costs
For many rural residents, owning a car isn’t a choice—it’s a necessity. But with rising costs for gas, insurance, maintenance, and parking, car ownership is becoming increasingly unsustainable, especially for lower-income individuals, students, and seniors. In 2023, rural households in the U.S. spent an average of $14,295 on transportation, exceeding the expenditures of urban households by almost $1,400.
Alternative Transportation Options in Polynesia: HelloScoot’
In Polynesia, one of the most geographically isolated regions in the world, reliable transportation is both a necessity and a challenge. Spread across multiple islands with limited public transit infrastructure, residents and tourists alike often have no choice but to rely on personal vehicles or expensive alternatives to get around.
“The challenge in Polynesia is the same as in cities like Paris or New York—people need affordable transportation options. But unlike in those cities, there are no alternatives to owning a car. That’s what makes services like HelloScoot so critical.” – Arthur Ceccaldi, HelloScoot’
To address these challenges, HelloScoot partnered with movmi to evaluate opportunities for expansion, optimize service offerings, and create a financially viable shared mobility model. The project focused on assessing demand, diversifying revenue streams, and ensuring long-term sustainability in a unique and challenging market.
“movmi’s structured methodology and precise timing were highly appreciated. You delivered exactly what we asked for at the beginning of the mission, along with a quick audit of our activity to show us where we stand in the market.” – Arthur Ceccaldi, HelloScoot’
Boosting Local Economies & Supporting Tourism
When people can move around freely, local businesses thrive. Shared mobility plays a crucial role in boosting economic activity by making it easier for residents and visitors to access shops, restaurants, and entertainment venues. This is especially true in rural areas and small towns, where traditional public transit is often infrequent or nonexistent.
Take the South Okanagan, for example—a region known for its wineries, arts scene, and outdoor recreation. Tourists flock to the area, but getting around without a personal vehicle can be a challenge. That’s where Sparrow Scooters comes in.
“Tourists want an easy way to get around. They don’t always have a car, and they don’t want to be stuck waiting for a taxi. Having an e-scooter station near wineries, hotels, and downtown areas has been a game changer.” – Josh Boileau, Sparrow Scooters
To make shared mobility even more accessible, Sparrow partners directly with local businesses to place scooter stations right at their doors. This strategic placement increases foot traffic, making it easier for customers to drop in while exploring the area. Restaurants, cafés, shops, and wineries all benefit from the increased accessibility, turning what could have been a missed visit into a new customer.
In Tahiti, where public transportation is limited, HelloScoot’ has transformed tourism mobility by offering an affordable, eco-friendly alternative to car rentals and taxis. As Tahiti’s first moped-sharing service, HelloScoot’ allows visitors to easily reach beaches, markets, and cultural sites, enhancing their experience while supporting the local economy. Through partnerships with local authorities and businesses, the service has also established designated parking spots near key attractions, ensuring that tourists have seamless access to the island’s most popular destinations.
A growing number of rural communities and tourist destinations are realizing that shared mobility isn’t just about convenience—it’s a key driver of economic growth. When people have easy, affordable ways to move around, they spend more time exploring and supporting local businesses.
Key Takeaway: Shared mobility doesn’t just benefit locals—it fuels tourism growth, stimulates business activity, and strengthens local economies.
Sustainability & Environmental Benefits
Rural areas and small cities heavily rely on high-emission transportation, with few climate-friendly alternatives available. This dependence not only increases carbon emissions and fuel dependency but also limits progress toward climate goals. Shared electric mobility presents a real, tangible solution, offering cost-effective and environmentally friendly alternatives to car ownership.
“For an island community like ours, sustainability is everything. We needed global expertise to help us analyze trends, avoid costly mistakes, and refine our business model. Movmi provided a structured approach, helping us define key strategies while ensuring that we remained competitive in the global shared mobility market.” – Arthur Ceccaldi, HelloScoot’
This shift toward sustainable shared mobility isn’t just happening in rural Canada or Polynesia—it’s gaining momentum worldwide. In Africa, where cities are rapidly expanding, eWAKA is leading the way with electric micromobility solutions designed to improve urban connectivity, cut emissions, and reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
Sustainable Transportation in Africa: eWaka
When eWAKA joined movmi’s EmpowerWISM program in 2022, they were looking to launch a fresh business model in a new market. movmi worked closely with eWAKA’s leadership to evaluate business models, assess market opportunities across Africa’s largest cities, and craft a strategy for entering the micromobility-sharing market. The goal was clear: replace inefficient, high-emission transportation with clean, sustainable alternatives.
Through this collaboration, eWAKA refined its approach—exploring both direct-to-consumer (B2C) and business partnerships (B2B) models, strengthening fundraising strategies, and positioning itself as a leader in electric mobility solutions. Today, eWAKA is actively shaping Africa’s clean transportation future, proving that shared mobility can be both economically viable and environmentally responsible.
Small Cities vs. Large Cities: Why Shared Mobility Solutions Must Be Unique
While smaller cities and towns face many of the same mobility challenges as major urban centers, their solutions, like rural and smaller communities, must be adapted to fit local realities.
In large cities, high-density populations generate steady demand, making shared mobility services profitable and scalable relatively quickly. However, in smaller communities, demand is more variable, infrastructure is different, and financial sustainability requires a more customized approach.
A prime example of this is movmi’s work with the City of Moncton, which sought to explore the feasibility of introducing a carsharing service.
Bringing Carsharing to a Growing Small City: Moncton
Founded on the traditional territory of the Mi’kmaq, lies the vibrant City of Moncton, home to a population of 144,810 as of 2016. With rapid growth on the horizon, Moncton is entering a new era of urban development. Recent years have witnessed a surge in active transportation initiatives, including the expansion of bike lanes throughout the city. The city also has the well-established Codiac Transpo, a public transit system that has served residents since 1981. Despite these systems, cars remain a main mode of transport for many residents. In light of this, the city sought to explore the feasibility of introducing a carsharing service—that’s where movmi came in.
When it came to evaluating the potential for carsharing in the City of Moncton, we took a deep dive into the data. We sifted through key demographic, economic, and mobility patterns to get a sense of how open folks in Moncton might be to adopting carsharing.
We also looked at similar-sized communities across North America to see how carsharing had panned out for them. And of course, we crunched the numbers, running scenario after scenario to figure out the best and worst-case financial outcomes for running a carsharing service in Moncton.
After doing this work, we had a clear picture of the most effective approach for bringing carsharing to the city, taking into account both the financial side of things and the support needed from Moncton’s policy decision-makers. Two months after delivery of our feasibility study, the City of Moncton approved the 2024 City budget which allocated $50,000 to begin a car share program in the city
Key Takeaway: Unlike in large cities, small-city shared mobility solutions need a strong financial foundation, municipal backing, and a clear understanding of demand patterns to succeed.
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At movmi, we believe that shared mobility should be accessible to all—no matter the size of the community. Through strategic planning, partnership development, and operations consulting, we are helping rural areas build sustainable, profitable shared mobility systems.
📩 Want to explore shared mobility for your community? Contact movmi today!
Shared mobility isn’t just for big cities—it’s for everyone. Let’s build a more connected, accessible, and sustainable world—one community at a time.