Carsharing

Assessing Early Market Potential for Carsharing in China: A Case Study of Beijing

Susan Shaheen, PhD and Elliot Martin
2006

Carsharing is the short-term use of a shared vehicle fleet by authorized members. Since 1998, U.S. carsharing services have experienced exponential growth. At present, there are 13 carsharing organizations. Over the past three years, electronic and wireless technologies have been developed that can facilitate carsharing system management in the U.S., improve customer services, and reduce program costs. This paper examines the U.S. carsharing market; the role of advanced tehchnology in program management, including CarLink lessons learned; and technology benefits to this nascent...

Carsharing in North America: Market Growth, Current Developments, and Future Potential

Susan Shaheen, PhD, Adam Cohen, and J. Darius Roberts
2006

Carsharing provides members access to a fleet of autos for short-term use throughout the day, reducing the need for one or more personal vehicles. Over ten years ago, carsharing operators began to appear in North America. Since 1994, a total of 40 programs have been deployed–28 are operating in 36 urban areas and 12 are now defunct. Another four are planned to launch in the next year. This paper examines carsharing growth potential in North America, based on a survey of 26 existing organizations conducted from April to July 2005. Since the mid-1990s, the number of members and...

Innovative Corridors Initiative: Call for Submission Process and Evaluation

Rachel S. Finson, Cynthia McCormick, Susan A. Shaheen, Ph.D.
2007

The Innovative Corridors Initiative represents an innovative business model for public agencies to partner with private industry to improve transportation system management and provide real time information to users. The Call for Submissions (CFS) issued by Caltrans, MTC, LA MTA, ITS America, and CCIToffered private industry access to public rights-of-way and data. However, no funds were offered as part of the CFS, meaning the companies that submitted a proposal and participated needed to have the capacity to self-fund their projects. This report provides a summary of the processes...

Commercial Vehicle Parking in California: Exploratory Evaluation of the Problem and Possible Technology-Based Solutions

Susan A. Shaheen, Ph.D and Caroline J. Rodier, Ph.D
2007

The United States is experiencing dramatic growth in commercial vehicle truck travel on our nation’s roadway system as well as critical shortages in truck parking. California ranks first in the nation’s overall (private and public) commercial vehicle parking shortage. Recent estimates of the demand for truck parking in California indicate that demand exceeds capacity at all public rest areas; this is the case at 88 percent of private truck stops on the 34 corridors in California with the highest truck travel volumes. Nationwide, shortages of public truck spaces, however, are...

Smart Parking Pilot on the Coaster Commuter Rail Line in San Diego, California

Tagan Blake, Caroline Rodier, Ph.D, Susan Shaheen, Ph.D
2007

Increasingly, public transit authorities are harnessing advances in sensor, payment, and enforcement technologies to operate parking facilities more efficiently. In the short term, these innovations promise to enhance customer parking experiences, increase the effective supply of existing parking with minimal investment, and increase ridership and overall revenue. Over the longer term, these systems could further expand ridership by generating revenue to add parking capacity and improve access. This paper reports on the Smart Parking Pilot Project on the COASTER commuter rail line in...

Carsharing: A Guide for Local Planners

Adam Cohen, Susan Shaheen, PhD, and Ryan McKenzie
2018

Transportation issues can create seemingly no-win conflicts for planners, whether it’s dealing with traffic demand management, wrangling over parking requirements, addressing quality of life issues that accompany traffic congestion, or trying to reduce vehicle emissions to forestall climate change. A new “product-as-service” approach to vehicle use, called carsharing, is springing up in major metropolitan markets, smaller districts, and university campuses all across the country. Where the conditions are right to support carsharing, these programs can give planners another flexible...

Smart Parking Pilot on the Coaster Commuter Rail Line in San Diego, California

Tagan Blake, Caroline Rodier, Ph.D, and Susan Shaheen, Ph.D
2008

Increasingly, public transit authorities are harnessing advances in sensor, payment, and enforcement technologies to operate parking facilities more efficiently. In the short term, these innovations promise to enhance customer parking experiences, increase the effective supply of existing parking with minimal investment, and increase ridership and overall revenue. Over the longer term, these systems could further expand ridership by generating revenue to add parking capacity and improve access. This paper reports on the Smart Parking Pilot Project on the COASTER commuter rail line in...

Carsharing and Public Parking Policies: Assessing Benefits, Costs, and Best Practices in North America

Susan Shaheen, PhD, Caroline Rodier, PhD, Gail Murray, Adam Cohen, and Elliot Martin, PhD
2010

At present, local jurisdictions across North America are evaluating how best to provide parking spaces to carsharing vehicles in a fair and equitable manner. Some have initiated implementation of carsharing parking policies, and many continue to evolve as the demand and need for carsharing grows. Many others are seeking guidance on carsharing parking, based on the fledgling experience of other cities. This study documents the state of the practice with respect to carsharing and parking policies in North America. The study begins by providing background on the evidence of carsharing...

Carsharing in Shanghai, China: Analysis of Behavioral Response to Local Survey and Potential Competition

Mingquan Wang, Elliot Martin, and Susan Shaheen, PhD
2011

The rapid motorization of China raises questions about the potential for alternative mobility solutions, such carsharing (short-term auto use), in developing mega cities like Shanghai, with a population of over 17 million people. While motor vehicle demand is increasing rapidly, there are many aspects of urban transportation in Shanghai (and China more broadly) that separate it from the urban environments in which carsharing has traditionally thrived. For example, the taxi plays a much more prominent role in the transportation system of Shanghai and Beijing than it does in most North...

The Impact of Carsharing on Public Transit and Non-Motorized Travel: An Exploration of North American Carsharing Survey Data

Elliot Martin and Susan Shaheen, PhD
2011

By July 2011, North American carsharing had grown to an industry of nearly 640,000 members since its inception on the continent more than 15 years ago. Carsharing engenders changes in member travel patterns both towards and away from public transit and non-motorized modes. This study, which builds on the work of two previous studies, evaluates this shift in travel based on a 6281 respondent survey completed in late-2008 by members of major North American carsharing organizations. Across the entire sample, the results showed an overall decline in public transit use that was...