Today - for my last post - I want to look at how mobility might be influenced by collaborative consumption and the new sharing economy. Undoubtedly, there is growing popularity for competing services offered by individuals to individuals.
I personally often car pool to different locations with friends to reap the economic, lifestyle and environmental benefits. And I know of my time living abroad, a car pooling or sharing service would have been invaluable. Like most foreigners, I am very mobile while living overseas, but not in a position to buy a car and carry the expenses (like parking or insurance).
Car sharing is extremely popular in Germany. In Berlin alone, home to about a fifth of Germany’s 15,400 shared cars, vehicle density decreased slightly last year, where the number of cars per 1,000 residents fell to 491 from 493, according to the Federal Motor Vehicle Office. There are two types of choices available to users, with many of the large car companies getting involved also. One service connects passengers to drivers, through an app, to share a ride to a mutual destination. They leave from different points depending on the location of the driver. The other is for users to log in, locate the closest available vehicle, wave a membership card, and drive off. These have designated spots throughout the city and users usually drive themselves. Insurance, fuel and parking are all taken car of.
Carsharing is definitely a useful mobility service from an ecological point of view as well as from an economical one. Only by a combination of all modes will we be able to provide mobility for everyone in the future. The key challenge will be for company's to maximise their lean growth while still demonstrating responsible corporate citizenship.
I personally often car pool to different locations with friends to reap the economic, lifestyle and environmental benefits. And I know of my time living abroad, a car pooling or sharing service would have been invaluable. Like most foreigners, I am very mobile while living overseas, but not in a position to buy a car and carry the expenses (like parking or insurance).
Car sharing is extremely popular in Germany. In Berlin alone, home to about a fifth of Germany’s 15,400 shared cars, vehicle density decreased slightly last year, where the number of cars per 1,000 residents fell to 491 from 493, according to the Federal Motor Vehicle Office. There are two types of choices available to users, with many of the large car companies getting involved also. One service connects passengers to drivers, through an app, to share a ride to a mutual destination. They leave from different points depending on the location of the driver. The other is for users to log in, locate the closest available vehicle, wave a membership card, and drive off. These have designated spots throughout the city and users usually drive themselves. Insurance, fuel and parking are all taken car of.
Carsharing is definitely a useful mobility service from an ecological point of view as well as from an economical one. Only by a combination of all modes will we be able to provide mobility for everyone in the future. The key challenge will be for company's to maximise their lean growth while still demonstrating responsible corporate citizenship.
Carsharing is definitely going to be great - in smaller cities it hasn't really mainstreamed yet, but it's great to hear of Berlin's experience - an actual decline in cars per resident! Amazing!
ReplyDeleteAnd a lot of this amazing carsharing is really enabled by smart phones, isn't it? I know my confidence level would have been lower when you had to check something online and then go out with that information, and no way to update changes... until smartphones!
I guess choice is key to a city with great mobility - if you think you need your own car, you can do things that way. But if you only occasionally need a car, here are a few options, and they're proper grown-up car-sharing options with insurance and everything!
I think in Melbourne car-sharing and carpooling will take off faster with younger people who are living closer to the city - but as their take-up increases, available services will increase and maybe we'll get to the point Berlin is at - a decline in cars per resident! More people deciding not to have a second car!
I don't yet see the carsharing option as fantastic for those of us in the outer suburbs, but maybe it'll get there? Cars for hire at Ikea, shopping centres etc to take the biggish stuff home? Carseats for those with kids?
And as for businesses in car-sharing? The car -dealership's losses will be their gain as we buy less cars per capita. And well designed smartphone apps make for pretty cheap business infrastructure.