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Institute of Transportation StudiesUC Davis

Title:U.S. Shared-Use Vehicle Survey Findings on Carsharing and Station Car Growth

Author:Shaheen, Susan, University of California, Berkeley

Publication Date:08-31-2004

Series:Recent Work

Permalink:http://escholarship.org/uc/item/2xc9q94w

Abstract:Shared-use vehicle services provide members with access to a vehicle fleet for use as needed,without the hassles and costs of individual automobile ownership. From June 2001 to July2002, there was a survey of 18 U.S. shared-use vehicle organizations on a range of topics,including organizational size, partnerships, pricing, costs, and technology. Although surveyfindings demonstrate a decline in the number of organizational starts in the last year, operationallaunches into new cities, membership, and fleet size continue to increase. Several growth-oriented organizations are responsible for most of this expansion. Several factors were exploredthat challenge shared-use vehicle growth, such as high capital investment (or start-up costs),dramatic insurance rate hikes, and scarcity of cost-effective technologies. Although the findingsof early niche markets are encouraging, the ability of this emerging sector to actualize its totalenvironment, economic, and social goals may be limited without the collective support of privateindustry (e.g., automobile manufacturers, insurance providers, technology producers); publicagents (e.g., transit and governmental angencies); and shared-use vehicle programs. Indeed,public-private partnerships and cooperation among shared-use vehicle providers may play a keyrole in addressing insurance and technology costs and ensuring the long-term viability of thismarket.

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