[INTERVIEW] Micro-mobility is more than about getting around

Industry

Published: 05 Jun. 2023, 19:14 Updated: 05 Jun. 2023, 19:24

[INTERVIEW] Micro-mobility is more than about getting around

Kim Hyung-san, the founder and CEO of The Swing, who is also known as San Kim, during an interview with the Korea JoongAng Daily on May 26 in Busan after The New York Times A New Climate event [SHIN HA-NEE]

BUSAN — As the global phase-out of fossil fuels picks up pace, the mobility transition is gaining momentum. And scooters are a part of the trend.

The Swing, Asia's leading micro-mobility start-up, is one of those fast expanding its presence in the changing transportation landscape.

Founded in 2018, the company is the largest shared micro-mobility service provider, not only in Korea but also in the rest of the region, in terms of revenue and the number of devices it operates under the Swing brand. The Swing posted an operating profit of 1.6 billion won ($1.2 million) last year. It is the only local shared mobility company that stayed in the black for three consecutive years.

"In Korea, shared micro-mobility is often considered only as a mode of transportation, but it holds significance as a sustainable mobility business in the global market," said Kim Hyung-san, also known as San Kim, the founder and CEO of The Swing, during an interview with the Korea JoongAng Daily on May 26 in Busan.

The CEO stressed that micro-mobility devices, such as electric scooters and bicycles, can and will replace cars to a certain extent.

Kim took to the stage on May 26 at Bexco, Busan, during The New York Times A New Climate Busan, event. He was featured as a panelist for a discussion session themed "Humane, Circular and Electric: The Future of Green Mobility."

"It's better to walk, cycle or ride a scooter to save the earth," Kim said during the session, "and to do that, the first step for the policymakers is to make an announcement: 'let's reduce cars'."

Kim Hyung-san, center, the founder and CEO of The Swing, speaks during a panel discussion in The New York Times, A New Climate event held in Busan on May 26. [PARK SEONGGWAN]

Transportation generated 24.6 percent of the total global carbon emissions in 2018, according to a report by the Korea Institute for International Economic Policy released in March last year.

As the global effort to cut carbon emissions gains momentum, city governments overseas are trying to promote walking and cycling instead of driving, while also implementing zero-emission zones and electrifying public transportation systems.

The Swing aims to speed up Korea's carbon emission reduction plan with its electric two-wheelers.

The following are edited excerpts from the interview with Kim.

Q. How does the shared micro-mobility business contribute to reducing carbon emissions?

A. Due to the size difference, a micro-mobility device emits significantly less carbon dioxide compared to a car both on the road and during production.

Even when a car is an EV, the electricity that powers, let's say a 2-ton electric car, is 60 to 70 percent produced from fossil fuels.

Micro-mobility devices, on the other hand, are light, and therefore emit a surprisingly little amount of carbon dioxide during device production and also during operation on the road.

Moreover, the sharing aspect of the service also reduces the waste of resources.

It is hard to hold private ownership of electric mobility devices in Korea, because of the limited living space of apartment complexes, which are very different from single-family houses commonly seen in Japan or in the United States.

I believe that the shared micro-mobility service addresses such pain points for Korean consumers, which makes the business popular in the country.

Electric scooters, also known as kickboards, are parked at a parking spot in Geumcheon District, southern Seoul. [GEUMCHEON-GU OFFICE]

How can micro-mobility replace cars? Does it need to be integrated with the public transportation system for that?

Yes, it can be integrated with the public transportation system, but also can replace cars without it.

Micro-mobility devices serve as not only a complementary mode of mobility but also an alternative even to public transport, as many people just hop on a two-wheeler if they have to travel short distances.

And in a city like Seoul, we can see that it is replacing cars in short-distance travel. For example, if you need to go somewhere maybe a few bus or metro stops away in downtown Seoul, riding a bicycle can take less time than taking a taxi.

What motivated you to enter the micro-mobility business?

I could see limitations with mobility services using cars.

The majority of cars sit in parking lots. Ride-sharing and ride-hailing services like Uber came out to reduce the waste of assets.

The sharing aspect is certainly positive, but because it made it easy to just ride the cars even when there are other alternatives available, the time that cars spend on the road became longer. Even those who would have just taken public transport are using cars instead because that's more convenient.

So, my question was 'Do we really need to use a car for that?', which is where we started.

What do you think is the biggest problem that needs to be addressed?

First of all, we need to reach a public consensus and strongly announce that we need fewer cars.

In other countries, such discourses and announcements have been made already, pushing to cut the number of cars and implement car-free zones. We cannot say 'cars are the problem' in Korea now, and I think that is the most imminent issue that should be addressed.

In order to make it easier to move around in a city without a car, a micro-mobility device comes in. And while all the ongoing criticisms of electric kickboards or bicycles standing in the middle of the streets or spooking drivers on the road are problems that should be fixed, these are peripheral issues, I think.

We really need to think about what our goal is in planning the city and prioritize what is important. Therefore I think the government and the Seoul city office should step up and take action to achieve that goal.

BY SHIN HA-NEE [shin.hanee@joongang.co.kr]