Shared Mobility

This chapter focuses on two shared mobility modes — carsharing and transportation network companies (TNCs, also known as ridesourcing and ride-hailing) — and how they can incorporate electric vehicles (EVs) into their fleets. Shared mobility is the shared use of a vehicle, scooter, bicycle, or other travel mode; it provides users with short-term access to a travel mode on an as-needed basis. Carsharing (e.g., Zipcar, car2go) offers members access to vehicles by joining an organization that provides and maintains a fleet of cars and/or light trucks. Vehicles may be located throughout a city...

In recent years, economic, environmental, and social forces have quickly given rise to the “sharing economy,” a collective of entrepreneurs and consumers leveraging technology to share resources, save money, and generate capital. Homesharing services, such as Airbnb, and peer-to-peer carsharing services, such as Getaround, have become part of a sociodemographic trend that has pushed the sharing economy from the fringe and more to the mainstream. The role of shared mobility in the broader landscape of urban mobility has become a frequent topic of discussion. Major shared transportation...

Shared micromobility – or short-term access to shared bikes and scooters – provides a flexible alternative for households living in urban areas, households seeking first and last-mile connections to public transportation, and those without access to a private vehicle trying to access jobs and essential services. Up until the global pandemic, shared micromobility grew worldwide on a relatively steep growth curve, beginning in the early 2010s. Shared micro-mobility is a transportation strategy that enables users’ short-term access to a transportation mode on an as-needed basis (Shaheen et al...

CarLink is the use of short-term rental vehicles and intelligent communication and reservation technologies to facilitate shared vehicle access at transit stations or other activity centers for making local trips. CarLink vehicles, owned and operated by a transit district or third-party service provider, can be used by different drivers at many locations throughout a day. Using advanced communication and reservation system technologies, they can be reserved in advance or rented automatically upon arrival at a CarLink...