Shared Mobility

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

Wang, Mingquan
Martin, Elliot
Shaheen, Susan A.
2012

The rapid motorization of China raises questions about the potential of alternative mobility solutions, such as carsharing (short-term auto use), in developing mega cities like Shanghai. 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 systems of Shanghai and Beijing than it does in most North American and European cities. Carsharing has...

Shared-Use Vehicle Services for Sustainable Transportation: Carsharing, Bikesharing, and Personal Vehicle Sharing across the Globe

Shaheen, Susan A.
2012

This special issue of the International Journal of Sustainable Transportation highlights developments in shared-use vehicle research, in particular carsharing, public bikesharing, and personal vehicle sharing. Since the mid-1980s, shared-use vehicle services have gained momentum across the world. Developments include a range of operational models—private, non-profit, and governmental ventures; advanced technology; worldwide entry and growth; collaboration and competition; and increased activity by auto rental companies and automakers.

Impacts of Car2go on Vehicle Ownership, Modal Shift, Vehicle Miles Traveled, and Greenhouse Gas Emissions: An Analysis of Five North American Cities

Martin, Elliot
Shaheen, Susan
2016

Car2go is currently the largest carsharing operator in the world, with a presence in nine countries and nearly 30 cities. It operates as a one-way instant access carsharing system within a pre-defined urban zone. Members can find an unoccupied parked vehicle, access it immediately, and use it to meet their local travel needs. As long as the vehicle is parked within the operating zone, users...

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

Wagner, Conrad
Shaheen, Susan
1998

More car sharing organisations are beginning to appear throughout Europe and North America. The use of existing and new technologies in an innovative way offers tremendous opportunities for this industry to grow.

Understanding Carsharing Risk and Insurance Claims in the United States

Shaheen, Susan
Shen, Diwen
Martin, Elliot
2016

Carsharing offers consumers short-term access to vehicles, which facilitates better mobility and reduces the need for personal vehicle ownership. Carsharing does not require consumers to have automobile insurance. Instead, carsharing operators insure their members and are responsible for the risks and liabilities associated with vehicle use. Carsharing operators are burdened with obtaining cost-effective insurance under a usage model that lacks massive actuarial data and analysis. This study analyzes 28 operator years of trips and claims data from six carsharing operators in the United...

Shared Mobility and Urban Form Impacts: A Case Study of Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Carsharing in the US

Shaheen, Susan
Martin, Elliot
Hoffman-Stapleton, Mikaela
2019

This paper advances the understanding of peer-to-peer (P2P) carsharing within the broader context of shared mobility and its connection to the built environment in the US through a survey conducted in 2014 (n = 1,151). Eleven per cent of respondents used carpooling/ridesharing more, and 19% avoided a vehicle purchase due to P2P vehicle access in urban areas. Nevertheless, P2P carsharing has the potential to operate in a range of land-use environments and could be an important strategy to further deemphasize car ownership. Additionally, as the deployment of automated...

Demand for Carsharing Systems in Beijing, China: An Exploratory Study

Shaheen, Susan A.
Martin, Elliot
2010

Rising auto ownership in China brings significant urban and environmental challenges. Since China is still in the early stages of motorization, there are opportunities to introduce alternatives to personal vehicle ownership. The authors conducted a survey with 800 Beijing residents, collecting data on transportation patterns, automobile ownership, environmental attitudes, and carsharing response. Fifteen of those participants were selected to complete an in-depth questionnaire discussing how they would use carsharing services. This paper assesses the potential for carsharing systems within...

Growth in Worldwide Carsharing: An International Comparison

Shaheen, Susan A.
Cohen, Adam P.
2007

Carsharing (or short-term auto use) provides a flexible alternative that meets diverse transportation needs across the globe while reducing the negative impacts of private vehicle ownership. Although carsharing appeared in Europe between the 1940s and 1980s, the concept did not become popularized until the early 1990s. For nearly 20 years, worldwide participation in carsharing has been growing. Today, carsharing operates in approximately 600 cities around the world, in 18 nations and on 4 continents. Approximately 348,000 individuals share nearly 11,700 vehicles as part of organized...

Shared Ride Services in North America: Definitions, Impacts, and the Future of Pooling

Shaheen, Susan
Cohen, Adam
2018

Shared ride services allow riders to share a ride to a common destination. They include ridesharing (carpooling and vanpooling); ridesplitting (a pooled version of ridesourcing/transportation network companies); taxi sharing; and microtransit. In recent years, growth of Internet-enabled wireless technologies, global satellite systems, and cloud computing - coupled with data sharing – are causing people to increase their use of mobile applications to share a ride. Some shared ride services, such as carpooling and vanpooling, can provide transportation, infrastructure, environmental...

“Three Ps in a MOD:” Role for Mobility on Demand (MOD) Public-Private Partnerships in Public Transit Provision

Lucken, Emma
Trapenberg Frick, Karen
Shaheen, Susan
2019

The growing number of public transportation agencies partnering with Mobility on Demand (MOD) or Mobility as a Service (MaaS) companies raises the question of what role MOD companies can, should, and currently play in the provision of public transport. In this article, we develop a typology reflecting 62 MOD public-private partnerships (MOD PPPs) in the United States and present lessons learned. We conducted 34 interviews with representatives from four MOD companies and 27 public agencies. The interviews spanned October 2017 to April 2018. The resulting MOD PPP typology consists of four...