Assessment and opportunities of the future development of car sharing in Germany

Abstract

Car sharing is an important component to promote the use of sustainable modes of transport. Several studies demonstrate the positive ecological impact, as the majority of car sharing users reduce the number of car trips and start using public transport more frequently after becoming members of an organisation. Even though car sharing has been a fast growing market in the past years in Germany, the number of customers is still low. Only 0.1 % of all persons having a driving licence in Germany have joined such an organisation. Therefore, the central goal of the present study is to find ways to promote these services. First, an investigation of the current situation in Germany was undertaken. For these purposes, a questionnaire addressing all German car sharing organisations (CSO) was conducted. Furthermore, a household survey was conducted to investigate the demand side of car sharing. This was augmented by analysis of the international development of car sharing through Internet research and standardised short questionnaires. On the basis of the results of these studies, recommendations for the further development of car sharing are given.