Your city is a transportation laboratory—time to run experiments on every option available.
Map and test every alternative transportation option in your city—e-scooters, bike shares, electric mopeds, and micro-transit networks. Build your personal mobility intelligence.
Cities in 2026 offer more mobility options than ever—bike shares, electric scooters, moped rentals, micro-transit shuttles, and app-based carpooling all compete for the same street space. Yet most people stick to one or two familiar options, missing cheaper, faster routes hiding in plain sight. This quest turns you into an urban mobility researcher. You'll systematically test every alternative transportation platform in your area, documenting costs, coverage zones, bike lane quality, and real-world travel times. You're not just taking a ride—you're building a mental map of which option works best for different scenarios. The guy who bikes to the grocery store might discover an e-scooter gets him there in half the time. The woman paying $15 for rideshares might find a moped share costs $4 for the same route. By the end, you'll have firsthand data on what actually moves fastest during rush hour, which platforms have the worst-maintained vehicles, and where bike lanes suddenly disappear. This isn't about going car-free forever—it's about knowing your full transportation toolkit and using the right tool for each trip.
You'll stop overpaying for rideshares when a $4 moped rental covers the same distance, and you'll quit white-knuckling bike lanes that vanish into truck traffic when a parallel scooter-friendly route exists two blocks over. This quest transforms you from someone who defaults to the same one or two options into someone who knows the fastest, cheapest tool for every scenario—and exactly where each mode's promises break down in real streets.
Top gear to make this quest great.
Pull it off
Testing multiple vehicles means constantly switching mounts. A quick-release system lets you move your phone between a bike, scooter, and moped in seconds without fumbling with straps. Critical for navigation on vehicles without built-in GPS displays
Shared bikes and scooters are often poorly maintained—loose handlebars, misaligned seats, brake adjustments. Being able to make minor fixes mid-ride turns an unusable vehicle into a functional one, expanding your actual available options by 20-30%
Switching between transit and micro-mobility requires quick access to cards and payment methods. Keeps essentials accessible without digging through pockets while balancing on a scooter. The handlebar bag option also gives you space for a lock if you're combining vehicles with walking segments
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Prices may change.
Install apps for all bike shares (Citi Bike, Divvy), e-scooters (Lime, Bird, Spin), moped services (Revel, JUMP), and local micro-transit shuttles in your city. Include app-based carpool programs that aren't standard rideshares. Create accounts now so you're not troubleshooting payment methods mid-experiment.
Choose a 2-4 mile route you actually travel—your commute, grocery run, or friend's place. Test each transportation option on this route under similar conditions (same weekday, similar weather). For every trip, track door-to-door time, total cost including unlock fees, vehicle condition, bike lane quality, unsafe stretches, and required detours.
Record what the apps hide: neighborhoods with zero available vehicles, bike lanes obstructed by construction or parked delivery trucks, scooters with dying batteries, hills where e-bikes demolish regular bikes. Note where you had to walk the last three blocks because the service boundary ended. These micro-details determine whether a mode is actually useful.
Map out each platform's pricing structure—per-minute, per-mile, unlock fees, surge pricing windows. Calculate break-even points: which service wins for trips under 15 minutes? Which becomes cheapest past 30 minutes? Determine when day passes or monthly memberships pay off versus pay-per-ride. Build a cheat sheet of actual costs, not advertised rates.
Combine modes to find faster routes: scooter to a transit stop, then bus the rest. Bike to a moped zone and switch vehicles. The quickest path often isn't one continuous ride—it's linking two or three options. Time these combinations against single-mode trips on the same route.
Create rules based on your data: trips under 1 mile in good weather use X, over 3 miles with cargo use Y, late-night in dim areas avoid Z. Compare your findings against app promises—if a service claims 15 mph average speed, what did you clock? Share your route-specific intel with neighbors or coworkers who travel similar paths. Hyperlocal knowledge beats citywide generalizations.
You bring the curiosity. We've found the tools.
Pull it off
Testing multiple vehicles means constantly switching mounts. A quick-release system lets you move your phone between a bike, scooter, and moped in seconds without fumbling with straps. Critical for navigation on vehicles without built-in GPS displays
Eliminates the need to open 8 different apps to see which vehicle is closest. Shows you comparative options side-by-side with estimated times and costs, making A/B testing between modes significantly faster
Apps that aggregate real-time availability across bike shares, scooters, transit, and ride options in a single interface
what to look for & our pick →
Shared bikes and scooters are often poorly maintained—loose handlebars, misaligned seats, brake adjustments. Being able to make minor fixes mid-ride turns an unusable vehicle into a functional one, expanding your actual available options by 20-30%
Pocket-sized tool with common hex keys, screwdrivers, and spoke wrench for quick adjustments
Get on Amazon · $8.99 — Compact bike repair multi-tool with hex keyswhat to look for & our pick →
Switching between transit and micro-mobility requires quick access to cards and payment methods. Keeps essentials accessible without digging through pockets while balancing on a scooter. The handlebar bag option also gives you space for a lock if you're combining vehicles with walking segments
Compact storage that attaches to handlebars or holds transit cards/credit cards behind your phone
Get on Amazon · $21.99 — Small handlebar bag or magnetic phone case with card holderwhat to look for & our pick →RELATED GEAR GUIDE
Urban Cycling Kit: 6 Picks to Quest Your City by Bike
Practical picks, real prices · Urban Exploration
As an Amazon Associate, IRL Sidequests earns from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.
Prices and availability are subject to change. The price shown at checkout on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
Hand-selected quests our team thinks you'll love
That building you pass every day? It's been screaming details at you that you've never noticed.
Hunt for architectural details hiding in plain sight—corbels, keystones, terra cotta faces, and century-old brickwork patterns that tell your city's real story.
Stop winging it in abandoned spaces—learn the difference between exploring safely and just getting lucky.
Learn essential urban exploration safety protocols, risk assessment, and technical skills from experienced urbex practitioners. Hands-on training for abandoned building navigation.
The best food in your city isn't on Yelp's front page—it's where rent is cheap and menus aren't in English.
Navigate your city's authentic food scene through ethnic markets, street vendors, craft breweries, and neighborhood joints that locals actually frequent.
Not this one?
Tell the generator how much time you have, who you're with, and your mood — it picks from 500+ quests like this one.
Try the real life side quest generatorOr browse the full list of real-life side quest ideas.