by Jaelen Loche | May 1, 2000 |
Authors: Susan Shaheen, Ph.D., John Wright, David Dick, and Linda Novick Date: May 01, 2000 Abstract: Most trips in U.S. metropolitan regions are driven alone, which is costly to individuals and society and leads to congestion and air pollution. A more efficient, but less convenient system would allow drivers to share cars. A shared-use system aims to reduce traffic by reducing the number of cars needed by households and encouraging commuters to walk, bike, and use transit, at least for part of their trips. For commuters especially, shared-use vehicles could offer a low-cost, low-hassle alternative to private vehicles. Furthermore, carsharing could help air quality by incorporating low-emission vehicles into shared-use fleets. The CarLink field test combined short-term rental vehicles with communication and reservation technologies to facilitate shared-vehicle access. The ten-month demonstration was implemented and researched by two teams at the Institute of Transportation Studies at UC Davis. Project partners included American Honda Motor Company, the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) District, Caltrans, PATH, and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). INVERS and Teletrac provided advanced carsharing and vehicle tracking technologies. Using surveys and focus groups, researchers explored attitudes toward the carsharing concept over time. This study builds upon the work of the CarLink longitudinal survey by linking carsharing market potential data to the CarLink field test population. Although the CarLink participant sample was not statistically significant, valuable lessons may still be drawn from the results. The CarLink field test results include: operational understanding, participant profiles, behavioral findings, economic viability, and directions for future research. Operational and participant profile highlights are also discussed here....
by Jaelen Loche | Jan 31, 2000 |
Author: Susan A. Shaheen, Ph.D Date: January 2000 Abstract: Most trips in U.S. metropolitan regions are drive-alone car trips, an expensive and inefficient transportation form. A more efficient, but often less convenient, system allows drivers to share cars. Carsharing organizations are becoming common throughout Europe and North America. Shared-use vehicles offer a modal alternative that can make metropolitan regions more livable. A shared-use system aims to reduce traffic by reducing the number of cars needed by households and encouraging commuters to walk, bike, and use transit, at least for part of their trips. Further, carsharing could help air quality by incorporating low-emission vehicles into shareduse fleets, further reducing traffic and vehicle miles traveled. For commuters, shared-use vehicles could offer a low-cost, low-hassle alternative to private vehicles. This paper describes the CarLink study approach; presents market results from a longitudinal survey on the CarLink concept, conducted in 1998; and describes an early CarLink adopter profile for the East San Francisco Bay region. This study found that willingness to use CarLink was dependent on the amount and type of exposure. Specifically, participants who read only a CarLink brochure lost interest over time, while nearly 78% of those who read a brochure, watched a video, and participated in a drive clinic declared they would use CarLink....
by Natalie Chyba | Jan 1, 2000 |
Author: Susan Shaheen Date: January 01, 2001 Abstract: Most trips in U.S. metropolitan regions are drive-alone car trips, an expensive and inefficient transportation form. A more efficient, but often less convenient, system allows drivers to share cars. Carsharing organizations are becoming common throughout Europe and North America. Shared-use vehicles offer a modal alternative that can make metropolitan regions more livable. A shared-use system aims to reduce traffic by reducing the number of cars needed by households and encouraging commuters to walk, bike, and use transit, at least for part of their trips. Further, carsharing could help air quality by incorporating low-emission vehicles into shared-use fleets, further reducing traffic and vehicle miles traveled. For commuters, shared-use vehicles could offer a low-cost, low-hassle alternative to private vehicles. This paper describes the CarLink study approach; presents market results from a longitudinal survey on the CarLink concept, conducted in 1998; and describes an early CarLink adopter profile for the East San Francisco Bay region. This study found that willingness to use CarLink was dependent on the amount and type of exposure. Specifically, participants who read only a CarLink brochure lost interest over time, while nearly 78 percent of those who read a brochure, watched a video, and participated in a drive clinic declared they would use CarLink....
by mattchristensen00 | Dec 7, 1999 |
Authors: Susan Shaheen, PhD Published: December 1999 Abstract: Most trips in U.S. metropolitan regions are drive-alone car trips, an expensive and inefficient means of moving people. A more efficient system would allow drivers to share cars. Such a system is often less convenient for travelers, but convenience can be enhanced by deploying “smart” technologies in concert with shared-use vehicles and transit. The motivation for this research is to determine how the use of information and communication technologies can enhance flexibility and mobility—and what value travelers will place on these new transportation means. My dissertation, using new survey research methods, examines CarLink, a smart carsharing service designed and deployed under my direction. This dissertation integrates social marketing and learning theories with human activity analysis approaches to explain the processes by which travelers can and might accept a transportation innovation. I focus on methods of presentation and learning to examine response dynamics. To explain the CarLink system to consumers, I developed several informational media: a brochure, video, and “trial” clinic....
by Jaelen Loche | Dec 2, 1999 |
Authors: Daniel Sperling and Susan Shaheen Date: December 2, 1999 Abstract: The premise of carsharing is simple. Households access, as needed, a fleet of shared-use vehicles. Individuals gain the benefit of private car use without the costs and responsibilities of ownership, and society gains large economic, environmental, and social benefits as a result of more efficient vehicle usage. But will these benefits be realized? The answer is unknown due to limited international experience and a virtual absence of credible analysis. It may be, however, that the more important benefits of carsharing are its indirect and unforeseen consequences. It may be that carsharing is best seen as facilitating intermodal travel and as the precursor of a new mode filling the gap between transit and private cars....
