Drivers of carsharing diffusion in Germany: an actor-centred approach

Abstract

Carsharing increasingly gains ground as a transportation mode in Europe and the world. The present paper contributes to the literature by studying the roles and interplay of market and non-market actors in the diffusion of carsharing. It applies an actor-centred framework to the context of market development of carsharing in Germany, considering the perspectives of carsharing providers, customers, and politics. Data from secondary sources, national published printed matters, and survey data are used to analyse market and non-market actors. Results from the customer survey show that motives of convenience and value matter more than ideological motives such as environmental awareness. Findings at the provider-level correspond to this result, as even 'traditional' companies adjust their services to improve their usefulness. The analysis of public policy measures indicates that only marginal national level political action has been taken. This finding is in stark contrast to other European countries, such as the Netherlands or Italy. The synthesis of relations between the different market and non-market actors reveals that infrastructural variables are a key determinant for carsharing diffusion. In view

Exploring Factors Affecting Car Sharing Use Intention in the Southeast-Asia Region: A Case Study in Java, Indonesia

“…The benefits of car sharing that might appeal to users are convenience aspects [56]. Convenience aspects like flexibility, time and effort savings on finding parking spots, and simple pricing systems have a positive effect on attitude toward car sharing services [21]. The semi-structured interview results also revealed that convenience was of importance as the main driver of deciding and choosing to use car sharing.…”

“…Other benefits of car sharing may include the cost-saving advantages. Car sharing can be profitable for users who sometimes use a car for short trips [21]. It can provide users with monetary advantages compared to expenses of private car ownership [70].…”

“…It is uncertain whether the recent car sharing boom that has engulfed major developed cities could become an alternative mobility solution for developing economies as well, because the present trend shows that car sharing businesses are often struggling for profitability, even as membership increases over time [20]. This may depend on the overestimated (or underestimated) revenues of the services, mainly determined by the misunderstanding of users' behavior [20][21][22]. Thus, companies and authorities planning to use sharing schemes need to know users' intention and motives, and influential factors affecting users' behavior toward car sharing so that they can optimally position those in the scheme and maximize the benefits [6].…”

Explaining carsharing supply across Western European cities

“…The promises of carsharing has attracted research interests. So far, most publications on carsharing have focused on the question which consumers opt for carsharing and why they do so (Burkhardt & Millard-Ball, 2006;Juschten, Ohnmacht, Thao, Gerike, & H€ ossinger, 2017;Lindloff, Pieper, Bandelow, & Woisetschl€ ager, 2014;Martin et al, 2010;Schaefers, 2013;Sioui et al, 2013). And, in transportation research more specifically, there is also work on ondemand modeling and the logistic optimization of carsharing systems [for reviews, see Ciari, Balac, & Axhausen (2016) and Vosooghi, Puchinger, Jankovic, & Sirin (2018)].…”

The existing and the emerging: car ownership and car sharing on the road towards sustainable mobility

“…Although privately owned cars dominate personal transport today, this may shift as a consequence of changing behaviour and official policies on energy efficiency and pollution reduction (Lanzini, 2018). At the same time, car sharing is gaining momentum worldwide (Lindloff et al, 2014;Shaheen and Cohen, 2013).…”