How Long Is the Last Mile Exactly? Let’s Talk About Whether a Folding Scooter Can Handle This Task
The term “last mile” appears frequently in discussions about urban transportation, but few people have seriously considered what this “last mile” actually means—is it a real kilometer, or does it refer to short-distance connections like “from the subway station to the office” or “from the entrance of the residential area to the bus stop”? Folding scooters are often cited as a solution to this problem, but have they been “used in the right context”? Let’s discuss this topic today.
How big is the difference between walking and cycling one kilometer?
A kilometer is a distance that takes about 12 to 15 minutes to walk at a normal pace, which is not particularly far for many people. However, if it is an “extra kilometer” on the way to work – that is, after taking the subway or bus for a while, you still have to walk another kilometer to reach your destination – the time cost will seem very real, especially during the morning rush hour when the weather is bad and time is tight.
The advantage of folding scooters in this scenario is quite straightforward: they reduce the 12 to 15 minutes of walking time to 3 to 5 minutes. It may sound like a small difference, but for someone who commutes daily and goes through this process every day, the accumulated time difference over a week is noticeable.
The real pain point isn’t “riding fast,” but rather “what to do after folding it up”
If you only look at riding speed and efficiency, folding scooters are almost a “game-changer” in the last-mile scenario. But those who have actually tried them will find that what really affects the user experience is often not the few minutes of riding, but how to deal with the folded scooter after reaching the destination.
If your destination is an office building, you need to consider whether you can take your folded bike up in the elevator and whether there’s a place to put it next to your workstation. If you don’t think about these questions in advance, “cycling to work” will quickly become a burden. Carrying or dragging a bike weighing several kilograms around the office every day to find a place to put it will easily wear down the novelty with these trivial troubles.
Therefore, when discussing whether folding scooters are suitable for the last mile of commuting, in addition to the riding experience itself, the issues that arise “after the ride”—such as the size after folding, whether it is easy to carry, and whether it can be stored under a workstation or in a locker—are the key factors in determining whether this solution can be sustained in the long term.
The definition of “last mile” varies from city to city
It is worth mentioning that the concept of “last mile” corresponds to different actual scenarios in different cities.
In cities with dense public transportation networks and evenly distributed stations, the “last mile” is more about connecting from the subway station to the destination, with relatively fixed distances and predictable road conditions. However, in other cities, the coverage density of public transportation may not be as high, and the “last mile” may actually be the “last three to five kilometers.” In this case, the battery life of a folding scooter becomes a more important indicator than just folding and portability.
This also reminds us that when creating related content, the “last mile” should not be described as a fixed scenario that applies to all places. The actual needs of users will vary considerably in different cities and under different commuting structures.
Folding scooters solve the last-mile transportation problem, and this logic is sound. However, whether they can truly integrate into a person’s daily commuting habits often depends on details “outside of riding”—how easy they are to carry after folding, where they can be stored, and whether they can be conveniently brought into the office or subway.
If you’re creating related scenario-based content in the future, I suggest extending your perspective a bit to “after the ride ends,” as this is often the most authentic and easily overlooked part of the user’s actual experience.
