Carsharing

Car Sharing and Mobility Management: Facing New Challenges with Technology and Innovative Business Planning

Conrad Wagner and Susan Shaheen
1998

Based on the authors’ experience and knowledge of technical developments, several important factors for implementing carsharing in the future are recommended. The authors emphasize how carsharing organizations (CSOs) can be incorporated into multimodal mobility services by adopting new business strategies and advanced technologies. The authors identify exemplary CSOs that have already taken strides towards developing their organizations into intermodal mobility service providers.

Shared-Use Vehicle Systems: Framework for Classifying Carsharing, Station Cars, and Combined Approaches

Matt Barth and Susan Shaheen, PhD
2002

In recent years, shared-use vehicle systems have garnered a great deal of interest and activity internationally as an innovative mobility solution. In general, shared-use vehicle systems consist of a fleet of vehicles that are used by several different individuals throughout the day. Shared-use vehicles offer the convenience of a private automobile and more flexibility than public transportation alone. These systems are attractive since they offer the potential to lower a user’s transportation costs; reduce the need for parking spaces in a community; improve overall air quality; and...

Commuter-Based Carsharing: Market Niche Potential

Susan Shaheen, PhD
2001

The automobile accounts for more than 95 percent of all person miles traveled in the United States, whereas transit accounts for less than three percent of all trips. Between the private automobile and traditional transit, niche markets exist for other transportation services, such as airport and transit feeder shuttles and carsharing. Commuter-based carsharing, by which individuals share a fleet of vehicles linked to transit, could potentially fill and expand one such niche; complement existing services, mainly transit and feeder shuttles; and develop into a viable transportation...

Carsharing and Partnership Management: An International Perspective

Susan Shaheen, PhD, Daniel Sperling, and Conrad Wagner
1999

Most cars carry one person and are used for less than one hour per day. A more economically rational approach would be to use vehicles more intensively. Carsharing, in which a group of people pay a subscription plus a per-use fee, is one means of doing so. Carsharing may be organized through affinity groups, large employers, transit operators, neighborhood groups, or large carsharing businesses. Relative to car ownership, carsharing has the disadvantage of less convenient vehicle access, but the advantages of a large range of vehicles, fewer ownership responsibilities, and less cost...

A Short History of Carsharing in the ’90s

Susan Shaheen, PhD, Daniel Sperling, and Conrad Wagner
1999

Updating a prior carsharing publication, this paper provides an extensive background to the international history of carsharing up to 1999, highlighting the reasons for which some organizations flourished and others faltered. Experiences of worldwide carsharing organizations (CSOs) are used to assess which factors are favorable to attaining innovative and economically viable operations and other organizational goals. The future prospects of international CSOs are explored based on trends in services offered, partnership management, and advanced technologies.

Carsharing in Europe and North America: Past, Present, and Future

Susan Shaheen, PhD, Daniel Sperling, and Conrad Wagner
1998

Most automobiles carry one person and are used for less than one hour per day. A more economically rational approach would be to use vehicles more intensively. Carsharing, in which people pay a subscription plus a per-use fee, is one means of doing so. Carsharing may be organized through affinity groups, large employers, transit operators, neighborhood groups, or large carsharing businesses. While carsharing does not offer convenient access to vehicles, it does provide users with a large range of vehicles, fewer ownership responsibilities, and less cost (if vehicles are not used...

U.S. Shared-Use Vehicle Survey Findings: Opportunities and Obstacles for Carsharing and Station Car Growth

Susan Shaheen, PhD, Mollyanne Meyn, Kamill Wipyewski
2003

Shared-use vehicle services provide members access to a vehicle fleet for use on an as-needed basis, without the hassles and costs of individual auto ownership. From June 2001 to July 2002, the authors surveyed 18 U.S. shared-use vehicle organizations on a range of topics, including organizational size, partnerships, pricing, costs, and technology. While survey findings demonstrate a decline in the number of organizational starts in the last year, operational launches into new cities, membership, and fleet size continue to increase. Several growth-oriented organizations are responsible for...

Policy Considerations for Carsharing & Station Cars: Monitoring Growth, Trends, and Overall Impacts

Susan Shaheen, PhD, Andrew Schwartz, and Kamill Wipyewski
2004

Since the late-1990s, over 25 U.S. shared-use vehicle programs – including carsharing and station cars – have been launched. Given their presumed social and environmental benefits, the majority of these programs received some governmental support – primarily in the form of startup grants and subsidized parking. As of July 2003, there were a total of 15 shared-use vehicle programs, including 11 carsharing organizations, two carsharing research pilots, and two station car programs, Over the last five years, U.S. carsharing membership has experienced exponential growth.

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Travel Effects of A Suburban Commuter Carsharing Service: CarLink Case Study

Susan Shaheen, PhD and Caroline Rodier, PhD
2005

Since 1998, carsharing programs (or short-term auto rentals) in the U.S. have experienced exponential membership growth. As of July 2003, 15 carsharing organizations collectively claimed 25,727 members and 784 vehicles. Given this growing demand, decision makers and transit operators are increasingly interested in understanding the potential for carsharing services to increase transit use, reduce auto ownership, and lower vehicle miles traveled. However, to date, there is only limited evidence of potential program effects in the U.S. and Europe. This paper presents the travel effects of...

Framework for Testing Innovative Transit Solutions: Case Study of CarLink, A Commuter Carsharing Program

Susan Shaheen, PhD and Linda Novick
2005

Transit accounts for just two percent of total travel in the U.S. One reason for low ridership is limited access; many individuals either live or work too far from a transit station. In developing transit connectivity solutions, researchers often employ a range of study instruments, such as stated-preference surveys, focus groups, and pilot programs. To better understand response to one innovative transit solution, the authors employed a number of research tools, including: a longitudinal survey, field test, and pilot program. The innovation examined was a commuter carsharing model,...