Shared Mobility

One-Way Carsharing's Evolution and Operator Perspectives from the Americas

Susan Shaheen
Chan, Nelson
Micheaux, Helen
2015

Classic roundtrip carsharing has been documented as a strategy to reduce car ownership and vehicle miles/kilometers traveled in urban areas. The expansion of carsharing and other forms of shared-use mobility have led to a growing interest in understanding the latest models. In recent years, one-way carsharing has gained momentum across the globe with 18 operators providing services in ten countries worldwide. One-way carsharing does not require its users to return the vehicle to the same location from which it was accessed (in contrast to roundtrip carsharing). Users typically pay by the...

Exploring Electric Vehicle Carsharing As A Mobility Option for Older Adults: A Case Study of A Senior Adult Community in The San Francisco Bay Area

Susan Shaheen
Cano, Lauren
Camel, Madonna
2015

By the year 2030, 57 million people will be over the age of 65 in the United States. Baby Boomers drive approximately 17% more than other age groups and are active well past retirement. This paper examines electric vehicle (EV) carsharing (short-term vehicle access) as a future alternative to vehicle ownership for older adults living on fixed incomes in a gated community to provide reduced cost mobility and eliminate vehicle maintenance hassles. The authors conducted a study of the response to the EV carsharing concept in a senior community in Northern California, between Winter 2009 and...

Automated Vehicles, On-Demand Mobility and Environmental Impacts

Greenblatt, Jeffery
Susan Shaheen
2015

We review the history, current developments, projected future trends and environmental impacts of automated vehicles (AVs) and on-demand mobility, and explore potential synergies. Many automobile manufacturers and Google plan to release AVs between 2017 and 2020, with potential benefits including increased safety, more efficient road use, increased driver productivity and energy savings. Estimates of AV energy use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions range from an ~80 % or greater decrease to a threefold increase; however, we argue that net decreases are likely. On-demand mobility services...

Shared Mobility: A Sustainability & Technologies Workshop: Definitions, Industry Developments, and Early Understanding

Susan Shaheen
Chan, Nelson
Bansal, Apaar
Cohen, Adam
2015

Shared mobility - the shared use of a vehicle, bicycle, or other mode - enables users to gain short-term access to transportation modes on an “as-needed” basis. Shared mobility includes carsharing, bikesharing, ridesharing, and on-demand ride services. It can also include alternative transit services, such as paratransit, shuttles, and private transit services. Smartphone “apps” are available to aggregate options and optimize routes. New ways of transporting and delivering goods also have emerged with the potential to change the nature of the package and food delivery industry. Shared...

Just A Better Taxi? A Survey-Based Comparison of Taxis, Transit, and Ridesourcing Services in San Francisco

Rayle, Lisa
Dai, Danielle
Chan, Nelson
Cervero, Robert
Susan Shaheen
2016

In this study, we present exploratory evidence of how “ridesourcing” services (app-based, on-demand ride services like Uber and Lyft) are used in San Francisco. We explore who uses ridesourcing and for what reasons, how the ridesourcing market compares to that of traditional taxis, and how ridesourcing impacts the use of public transit and overall vehicle travel. In spring 2014, 380 completed intercept surveys were collected from three ridesourcing “hot spots” in San Francisco. We compare survey results with matched-pair taxi trip data and results of a previous taxi user survey. We also...

Understanding Carsharing Risk and Insurance Claims in the United States

Susan Shaheen
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...

Mobility and the Sharing Economy: Potential to Overcome First- and Last-Mile Public Transit Connections

Susan Shaheen
Chan, Nelson
2016

Shared mobility—the shared use of a motor vehicle, bicycle, or other mode—enables travelers to gain short-term access to transportation modes on an as-needed basis. The term “shared mobility” includes the modes of carsharing, personal vehicle sharing (peer-to-peer carsharing and fractional ownership), bikesharing, scooter sharing, traditional ridesharing, transportation network companies (or ridesourcing), and e-Hail (taxis). It can also include flexible transit services, including microtransit, which supplement fixed-route bus and rail services. Shared mobility has proliferated in global...

Generic Time- and Method-Interdependencies of Empirical Impact-Measurements: A Generalizable Model of Adaptation-Processes of Carsharing-Users' Mobility-Behavior Over Time

Firnkorn, Jörg
Susan Shaheen
2016

The purpose of this article is to advance empirical sustainability-evaluations of carsharing-systems. Carsharing, a frequently cited example of a product–service system (PSS), is currently morphing from a niche into a mainstream mode of transportation. Carsharing has the potential to provide a more sustainable mobility-option compared to private car usage, for example by reducing the overall motor-vehicle traffic in cities. However, the quantification of this potential is complex, and few studies have analyzed the fundamental impacts of the chosen measurement-methodology on the results of...

Shared Mobility: Current Practices and Guiding Principles Brief

Susan Shaheen
Cohen, Adam
Zohdy, Ismail
Kock, Beaudry
2016

Shared mobility—the shared use of a vehicle, bicycle, or other mode—is an innovative transportation strategy that enables users to gain short-term access to transportation modes on an as-needed basis. The term shared mobility includes various forms of carsharing, bikesharing, ridesharing (carpooling and vanpooling), and on-demand ride services. It can also include alternative transit services, such as paratransit, shuttles, and private transit services (called microtransit), which can supplement fixed-route bus and rail services. With diverse options for mobility on the rise, smartphone...

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

Martin, Elliot
Susan Shaheen
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...