Where and How Car Sharing Succeeds
This report is designed to provide guidance for transit agencies, government officials and other interested parties in developing successful carsharing services.
The report presents a research team's findings on:
- Current and potential roles of carsharing in enhancing mobility as a part of the transportation system
- Characteristics of carsharing members and neighborhoods where carsharing have been established
- Environmental, economic and social impacts of carsharing
- Ways in which partner organizations have tried to promote carsharing
- Barriers to carsharing and ways to mitigate these barriers
- Procurement methods and evaluation techniques for achieving carsharing goals
This is not a detailed manual on how to open and operate a carsharing service. Instead, the report focuses on the role of partner organizations with an interest in developing carsharing.
The findings in this report are based on:
- Literature review
- A web-based survey of carsharing members
- Focus groups of carsharing members
- A web-based survey of partner organizations
- A workshop of carsharing operators
- An analysis of neighborhood characteristics around carsharing locations
This report covers the primary areas of importance when considering bringing a new carsharing program to your community. While it is not a comprehensive guide to operating a carsharing program, it does provide guidance for both the planning and implementation of carsharing programs. Carsharing encourages and supports walkable communities and transit. It shares the cost of car ownership and maintenance across many users. Carshare vehicles are typically energy efficient, keeping CO2 emissions to a minimum.
The ability or potential of a physical body to do work. The most common forms of energy are heat, light, mechanical (moving parts), and electrical.
