Cyriac M. George

High ambitions have been set for curbing car usage in urban areas, and transport planning is finally turning its research and policy-making gaze to sustainable modes like walking, cycling, and public transport. Car sharing (CS) is fast emerging as a fourth addendum to this set of sustainable modes, based on the core understanding that a car will be used only when absolutely necessary. As opposed to informal car sharing, formal car sharing entails membership, either platform or organization based, which provides access to an automobile for short-term. Currently, the three most popular CS business models are business-to-consumer (B2C), business-to-business (B2B) and peer-to-peer (P2P). It is estimated that CS can have major impacts in reducing car ownership at the household level, vehicle miles traveled/vehicle km traveled (VMT/VKT) and GHG emissions. Results, however, indicate that there are multiple topics related to acceptability, adoption, retention and institutionalization of car sharing which needs to be further studied before CS can establish itself as the fourth sustainable mode of transport.

The rise of the sharing economy has enabled new forms of urban mobility that were previously either non-existent, small scale and informal in nature. This chapter focuses on new ways of sharing automobiles, namely ride-sharing, ride-sourcing and car sharing. These new modes, collectively referred to as shared automobility, rely upon digital platforms that facilitate transactions as part of the sharing economy and the related product-service economy, on-demand economy, and second-hand economy. The literature on shared automobility emphasizes impacts on environment, congestion, public health and regulatory frameworks. Shared automobility generally leads to reduced automobile use, carbon emissions and vehicle collisions, although the evidence is not consistent across contexts. Current regulatory frameworks are not equipped to handle the challenges posed by shared automobility with respect to competition with incumbent modes, safety regulations and labor conditions. We have begun to see signs of consolidation among ride-sharing and ride-sourcing. Further technological innovations may lead to further consolidations with car sharing.

This paper builds on a survey of existing users of two car sharing schemes in Oslo, namely Nabobil (peer-to-peer scheme P2P) and Bilkollektivet (cooperative scheme Coop), to understand how the following factors lead to active (or passive) car sharing – i. key life-events; ii. adoption/retention challenges; iii. acceptability; and iv. infrastructural needs. The conceptual framework of this study is informed by mobility biographies and social practice theory. A web-based questionnaire was distributed by the two service providers to their members, and approximately 1,724 users of P2P and 1,117 users of Coop participated in the survey. The survey collected information on travel behaviour, preferences, life-stages, mobility biography of the household, and life-events possibly leading to car sharing. Results highlight that using P2P scheme emerged as statistically significant for students moving to Oslo and for employees starting in new jobs. For the Coop members, the birth of first or later children were statistically significant events in households’ decision to start with car sharing. Along with differences in meanings, skills, materiality and practices of carsharing, users of the two schemes varied with respect to spatial details as well – proximity to transit-stops, access to high-frequency public transport services, walking/cycling infrastructure and, parking facilities. Further, for carsharing to become popular, ample institutional trust, capable of off-setting any lack of trust that users may have, needs to be built.