Carsharing as a Driver of Sustainable Urban Mobility? An Analysis of User Structure and Motivation

Abstract

Urban car traffic causes many negative effects, including air pollution and CO2 emissions, congestion, pressure on parking and noise. Strategies effecting a reduction in car traffic are becoming ever more important. One ‘classical’ component within these strategies has been Carsharing – introduced in several European countries since the 1980ies, in the US since the late 1990ies. Although Carsharing evolved gradually, it was not able to meet the expectations expressed at its beginning. Currently Carsharing is experiencing a ‘renaissance’ due to the introduction of ‘flexible’ or ‘free-floating’ Carsharing as a new mobility concept. All Carsharing providers are recording rising user numbers, particularly sharply rising numbers are registered for the new free-floating Carsharing operations like ‘DriveNow’, ‘Car2Go’ oder ‘Multicity’ that allow one-way trips. Against this backdrop, the presentation will focus on the change in Carsharing user structures and user motivations. The socio-demographic and socio-economic structure of traditional Carsharing users and its development since the implementation of Carsharing in Germany, will be analyzed using earlier studies and data. To understand the ‘new’ Carsharing users, data from a current project on the use of flexible Carsharing will be analysed. Some first results indicate that free-floating Carsharing’s early adopters are predominantly well-educated, tech-savvy young men. The presentation, however, will not only have a look at the early adopters, but allow also on the first majority.