U.S. Shared-Use Vehicle Survey Findings: Opportunities and Obstacles for Carsharing and Station Car Growth

by | Jul 21, 2015 |

Authors: Susan Shaheen, Mollyanne Meyn, Kamill Wipyewski Published: October 1, 2003 Abstract: Shared-use vehicle services provide members access to a vehicle fleet for use on an as-needed basis, without the hassles and costs of individual auto ownership. From June 2001 to July 2002, the authors surveyed 18 U.S. shared-use vehicle organizations on a range of topics, including organizational size, partnerships, pricing, costs, and technology. While survey findings demonstrate a decline in the number of organizational starts in the last year, operational launches into new cities, membership, and fleet size continue to increase. Several growth-oriented organizations are responsible for most of this expansion. The authors explore several factors that challenge shared-use vehicle growth, such as high capital investment (or start-up costs), dramatic insurance rate hikes, and scarcity of cost-effective technologies. The authors conclude that while early niche market findings are encouraging, the ability of this emerging sector to actualize its total environmental, economic, and social goals may be limited without the collective support of private industry (e.g., automakers, insurance providers, technology producers); public agents (e.g., transit and governmental agencies); and shared-use vehicle programs. Indeed, public-private partnerships and cooperation among shared-use vehicle providers may play a key role in addressing insurance and technology costs and assuring the long-term viability of this market. View...

Examining Intelligent Transportation Technology Elements and Operational Methodologies for Shared-Use Vehicle Systems

by | Jul 21, 2015 |

Authors: Matt Barth, Michael Todd, Susan Shaheen Published: January 1, 2002 Abstract: As an innovative mobility solution, there has been significant interest and activity in shared-use vehicle systems. Shared-use vehicle systems (i.e., carsharing, station cars) consist of a fleet of vehicles that are used by several different individuals throughout the day. Shared-use vehicles offer the convenience of a private automobile and more flexibility than public transportation alone. In recent years, varying degrees of intelligent transportation system technologies have been applied to shared-used systems, providing better manageability and customer service. Many shared-use vehicle service providers today include some degree of advanced technologies (e.g., online reservations, vehicle tracking, smartcard access) in their operations. At present, there is a developing need for interoperability among shared-use vehicle service providers (e.g., smartcard access among carsharing organizations) and transit operators (i.e., transit fare collection via smartcards). Interoperability will likely result in higher customer satisfaction and use, leading to greater market penetration. Similarly, some degree of standardization will likely unfold for overall operational techniques (e.g., online reservations and insurance policies), customer interactions, and to some degree vehicle interfaces. However, shared-use vehicles systems are still a relatively new mobility concept, thus an industry-wide standardization approach is still premature. Nevertheless, this paper attempts to identify many of the important issues that will play a significant role in interoperability discussions among shared-use vehicle providers and the development of industry standards in the future. This paper focuses on key elements of intelligent shared-use vehicle system operations, describing many of the tradeoffs that have been encountered during the pioneering stage of shared-use vehicle system developments. Key topics include vehicles, user/system interactions, user/vehicle interactions, and...

Mobility and the Sharing Economy: Impacts Synopsis – Spring 2015

by | Mar 17, 2015 |

Authors: Susan Shaheen, PhD, and Nelson Chan Published: March 2015 Abstract: Shared-use mobility includes carsharing, personal vehicle sharing (or peer-to-peer (P2P) carsharing), bikesharing, scooter sharing, shuttle services, ridesharing, and on-demand ride services. It can also include commercial delivery vehicles providing flexible goods movement. Shared-use mobility has had a transformative impact on many global cities by enhancing transportation accessibility while simultaneously reducing ownership of personal automobiles. In the context of carsharing and bikesharing, vehicles and bicycles are typically unattended, concentrated in a network of locations where the transaction of checking out a vehicle or bicycles is facilitated through information technology (IT) and other technological innovations. Usually, carsharing and bikesharing operators are responsible for the cost of maintenance, storage, parking, and insurance/fuel (if applicable). In the context of classic ridesharing (carpooling and vanpooling) and on-demand ride services, such as transportation network companies (TNCs), many of these providers employ IT to facilitate the matching of riders and drivers for trip making. View...