Does Car-Sharing Reduce Car Ownership? Empirical Evidence from Germany

Abstract

The sharing economy is making its way into our everyday lives. One of its business models, car-sharing, has become highly popular. Can it help us increase our sustainability? Besides emissions and vehicle miles traveled, one key aspect in the assessment regards the effect of car-sharing on car ownership. Previous studies investigating this effect have relied almost exclusively on surveys and come to very heterogeneous results, partly suggesting spectacular substitution rates between shared and private cars. This study empirically explores the impact of car-sharing on noncorporate car ownership and car markets in 35 large German cities. The analysis draws on publicly available data for the years 2012, 2013, 2015, and 2017, including, among others, the number of shared cars per operating mode (free-floating and station-based) and the number of cars owned and registered by private individuals (i.e., excluding company cars). We find that one additional station-based car is associated with a reduction of about nine private cars. We do not find a statistically significant relation between car ownership and free-floating car-sharing. Neither type of car-sharing appears to impact the markets for used and new cars significantly. Given the measurable impacts on car ownership levels, this result is surprising and invites future research to study car-sharing’s impact on the dynamics of car markets.

Does Car Sharing Contribute to Urban Sustainability from User-Motivation Perspectives?

“…When talking about the transport system, the quality of the environment and the possibilities for improving it are usually analyzed. The sharing economy is observed as a way to potentially reduce the environmental impact and costs of using products and to increase the availability of transport vehicles [20,[40][41][42].…”

“…Transport safety is important as it affects the potential costs of social care and health both for individuals and accident victims, as well as rescue and support services [51][52][53]. A valid question arises as to whether car sharing affects the reduction in car ownership or not [41,54]. The digital platforms play an important role in fostering the sharing economy, allowing consumers to search for sharing service providers more quickly and conduct their business using standard contracts that are already being executed by sharing via online platforms [55].…”

A Decision Model for Free-Floating Car-Sharing Providers for Sustainable and Resilient Supply Chains

“…[49] considered the repair and maintenance part. As car-sharing alone might not be enough to significant reduce the number of private cars [50], further studies on collaboration of different supply chain partners are needed to further improve sustainability.…”

Shared Mobility: Evolving Practices for Sustainability

“…Carsharing has increased its popularity, but is it really a solution to increase sustainability in mobility? Kolleck [30] highlighted that one key aspect in assessing sustainability is better knowledge on how carsharing relates to car ownership. He argued that earlier research has primarily relied on survey studies and resulted in non-conclusive findings; some suggest very strong substitution rates between shared and private cars.…”

“…Several research papers have taken a psychological approach to analyze the influence of diverse constructs such as of psychological ownership and status seeking motives [30], social and self-identity [35], perceptions of trust, safety, and community culture [28] on shared mobility adoption. In light of the disruptive COVID-19 pandemic, the mobility service providers reacted with new practices and users adopted new habits.…”