Residents of Polish cities love micro mobility - report

Poland is sixth in Europe in terms of car ownership per thousand residents - an average of 571 vehicles per 1,000 people, according to a report by Deloitte consultancy published on Wednesday.

Polish city dwellers are increasingly taking advantage of cheaper and more eco-friendly modes of transport, such as bikes and scooters, the report "Shared mobility in Poland - overview" said.

In Warsaw, there are 715 vehicles for every 1,000 residents. Meanwhile, in the German capital of Berlin there are only 333 vehicles per 1,000 inhabitants. However, in the view of analysts, the saturated market of private cars is beginning to show signs of subsiding. Developments in technology, concerns for air quality and rapidly increasing access to alternative transport solutions, such as city-bikes and scooters, means that privately owned cars are more frequently being left at home in the garage, Deloitte experts pointed out in their study.

The report noted that Polish cities are starting to catch-up with other cities in Europe. Residents of Polish cities are more frequently taking advantage of alternative, cheaper and more ecological methods of transport. Poles are following the global trend in micro mobility, reaching out for transportation solutions which allow for covering short distances with the aid of lightweight, battery-powered vehicles, such as scooters and electric-cars.

In the view of the experts, some of the main reasons for people leaving their cars at home are advancements in technology, such as GPS systems, mobile payments through applications, greater battery power and the growing popularity of smartphones. The increase in people seeking new modes of transport can also be linked to the increasing number of city dwellers (currently 60 pct of Poland's population).

"There is yet another reason why people choose to use solutions which are environmentally friendly: concerns over the air quality in Poland. Awareness in society, care for health and quality of life are also increasing. Among the younger generation, we are seeing changes in lifestyle choices, mobility, rejection of the concept of owning possessions and its replacement with ideas of sharing," Irena Pichola, leader of Deloitte's Sustainability Consulting Central Europe team, underscored in the report.

Experts also warned that Polish law is finding it difficult to keep up with the rapid changes in mobility. For example, there are no regulations regarding electric scooters, hence those who use them are categorised as pedestrians, who should use pavements.