Skip to main content

Berg Insight: free floating car sharing served 5.6m members 2017

Free floating car sharing services utilised 40,000 vehicles and served 5.6 million members in 2017, according to a report released by Swedish internet of things firm Berg Insight. The study also forecasted that membership of the service will reach 14.3 million using around 102,000 vehicles by the end of 2022. This service allows members to pick up and drop-off cars anywhere within a designated area where parking is allowed. Users can access available cars without prior booking or be required to schedule
April 20, 2018 Read time: 2 mins
Free floating car sharing services utilised 40,000 vehicles and served 5.6 million members in 2017, according to a report released by Swedish internet of things firm 3849 Berg Insight. The study also forecasted that membership of the service will reach 14.3 million using around 102,000 vehicles by the end of 2022.


This service allows members to pick up and drop-off cars anywhere within a designated area where parking is allowed. Users can access available cars without prior booking or be required to schedule a return time.

The operational model presents challenges for carsharing operators such as car fleet rebalancing across operating areas to ensure availability, higher capital investments in car fleets as well as parking management.

Berg Insight also revealed that most carsharing organisations use station-based networks with roundtrip rental which requires users to return a vehicle to the same station where it was accessed.

Martin Svegander internet of things analyst at Berg Insight, said: “Free floating carsharing is now available in about 20 countries and roughly 55 cities worldwide. Europe and North America so far represent the vast majority of free floating carsharing members worldwide. In Europe, free floating services accounted for more than 65 percent of the carsharing membership at year-end 2017."

“Examples of additional markets that have introduced free floating carsharing services include Russia, China, New Zealand and Brazil. Besides free floating carsharing schemes backed by the major carmakers BMW DriveNow and Daimler Car2go, some specialist CarSharing Organisations (CSOs) in Europe and North America have also started to offer this operational model. Examples of CSOs that offer free floating services include Enjoy in Italy, GreenMobility in Denmark and Evo Car Share in Canada. Recently, BMW and Daimler announced the merger of their mobility service businesses that is anticipated to create a leading venture that includes free floating carsharing services and other shared mobility services”, Svegander added.

The report brochure can be downloaded %$Linker: 2 External <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 0 0 0 link-external here false http://www.berginsight.com/ReportPDF/ProductSheet/bi-vending3-ps.pdf false false%>.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Europe calls for guidance on evaluating ITS projects
    December 4, 2012
    A European Commission study report has revealed a lack of consistency or standard practice for evaluating the funding needs and fiscal performance of ITS projects. New guidelines are urgently needed for monitoring public funding of ITS schemes, says a recent report from the European Commission (EC). A specially-commissioned study has found no readily available comparative analysis of transport funding schemes and ITS investment methodologies to support project decision making. A survey of nine EU member sta
  • Karhoo adds London chauffeur service to platform
    April 23, 2019
    Karhoo has partnered with Carey to allow users to book executive chauffeured services across London including to all airports in the UK capital. The deal is set to expand Karhoo’s current offering of around 25,000 taxis and cars which are operating in London. Sandy Miller, CEO of Carey, says users can now access the company’s service on the Karhoo platform in Europe, Asia and Latin America. The partners plan to expand the integration to incorporate Carey's network in more than 1,000 cities worldwide.
  • Truvelo launches latest member of D-Cam family
    March 24, 2014
    Speed camera specialist Truvelo Manufacturers has chosen Intertraffic Amsterdam 2014 to launch the latest D-Cam R speed and red light camera system. The latest member of the D-Cam family, it uses the same technology platform as the existing D-Cam P and the D-Cam L and continues that pedigree.
  • TRB launches transformational technologies in transportation website
    June 15, 2016
    The Transportation Research Board (TRB) is demonstrating its new website on transformational technologies in transportation at ITS America San Jose this week. The website includes resources about ongoing research, publications, news and events. Technologies covered include connected and automated vehicles, shared use services; unmanned aerial systems (drones); nextgen, internet of things, smarts cities; big data; and cybersecurity. Attendees can check out the new site at www.TRB.org/ main/TransTech.aspx or