Most city dwellers have by now seen the explosion of shared bikes and scooters popping up around their city — and if not, they will soon enough.

As congestion in cities rises, existing transportation — from cars to buses to trains — can no longer keep up with the growing population. Americans lose an average of 99 hours a year due to traffic congestion, according to the 2019 INRIX National Traffic Scorecard, and in 2019, traffic cost Americans roughly $88B, or an average of almost $1,400 per driver.

With cities pressed to solve the transportation crisis amid rising concerns around gas-powered emissions, micromobility startups are emerging as a powerful alternative to the current public transit mix — especially as the Covid-19 crisis impacts the sector.

Micromobility businesses — both direct-to-consumer companies and sharing platforms — have seen strong demand as a result of Covid-19, despite an initial slowdown at the onset of the pandemic.