Skip to main content

Study finds fewer cars, improved emissions with one-way car-sharing

The University of California, Berkeley Transportation Sustainability Research Center (TSRC) has released results from the first-ever study of one-way car-sharing in North America and its impact on mobility. The researchers say the findings clearly illustrate that one-way car-sharing reduces the number of cars travelling on city roads and occupying parking spaces on city streets. The study, which gathered data from nearly 9,500 North American car2go members residing in Calgary; San Diego; Seattle; Van
July 20, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
The University of California, Berkeley Transportation Sustainability Research Center (TSRC) has released results from the first-ever study of one-way car-sharing in North America and its impact on mobility.

The researchers say the findings clearly illustrate that one-way car-sharing reduces the number of cars travelling on city roads and occupying parking spaces on city streets.

The study, which gathered data from nearly 9,500 North American 4190 car2go members residing in Calgary; San Diego; Seattle; Vancouver; and Washington, DC that between two per cent to five per cent of the car2go population sold a vehicle due to car2go across the study cities. In addition, another seven per cent to 10 per cent of respondents did not acquire a vehicle due to car2go.

The study also found that each car2go vehicle removes between seven to 11 vehicles from city roads (including sold and suppressed), while one to three private vehicles were sold across the five cities per car2go vehicle. In total, car2go took an estimated 28,000-plus vehicles off of the road and reduced parking demand.

Researchers found a six per cent to 16 per cent reduction in vehicle miles travelled (VMT) across the study population (an average of 11 per cent) and a four per cent to 18 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across the study population (an average of 10 per cent).

Estimates suggest that car2go's one-way car-sharing service prevented between 10 and 29 million VMT per year per city, depending on assumptions of suppressed mileage, which in turn removed between 5.5 to 12.7 metric tons of GHG emissions per car2go vehicle annually (on average).

The average age of vehicles car2go members reported selling averaged 14.4 years across all the cities, thus helping to remove more polluting vehicles with older emission systems from city streets.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Adaptive control reduces travel time, cuts congestion
    January 20, 2012
    Situated in San Diego County, California, the growing city of San Marcos has seen its population increase by 53.5 per cent since the turn of the century. Although this dramatic population increase has spurred economic growth bringing new business, homes and opportunities to the city, it has also increased traffic congestion along its central corridor, San Marcos Boulevard. This became the most congested arterial in the city, and, by 2006, the second-most travelled corridor in San Diego County.
  • Mileage based charging offers secure future for funding
    August 10, 2016
    HNTB’s Matthew Click sets out why a move to mileage-based pricing is inevitable. Infrastructure is the most neglected yet the most critical engine of our society, and our continued indifference could lead to a dystopian future. Our roads, bridges and highways have been largely passed by in the digital age—marginalised in an era when funding is limited and stewardship of physical assets has given way to our preoccupation with technological innovation and data—the stuff of the virtual realm.
  • Hydrogen filling station operating in California
    April 11, 2012
    Linde North America, a specialist in the design, construction and operation of hydrogen vehicle fuelling systems, has commissioned an installation at AC Transit, the bus operator for 13 cities in the East Bay Area, including Emeryville, Oakland and Berkeley, and also operates trans-bay service to San Francisco. The Emeryville hydrogen fuelling station, which is now fuelling 12 fuel cell buses and up to 20 passenger cars a day, is one of two Linde is supplying to AC Transit. The second, located at the Oaklan
  • Caltrans takes the long view of transport
    October 21, 2016
    Caltrans’ Malcolm Dougherty took time out of his schedule at ITS America 2016 in San Jose to talk to ITS International about current and future challenges. As director of California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) since mid-2012, many would say that Malcolm Dougherty has one of the best jobs in transportation. Caltrans is one of the most progressive and innovative transport authorities, implementing policies to encourage cycling, piloting new