Skip to main content

Peer-to-peer car sharing expected to become the next big thing in the market

Frost & Sullivan’s recent customer research study on car sharing in select European cities reveals that the market is fast gaining ground. Residents in a number of cities in France, Germany as well as in the UK are currently multi-modal transport users. While only one out of four claim familiarity with the car sharing concept, once familiar, the interest levels in these services zip to 38 per cent.
October 22, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
RSSFrost & Sullivan’s recent customer research study on car sharing in select European cities reveals that the market is fast gaining ground. Residents in a number of cities in France, Germany as well as in the UK are currently multi-modal transport users. While only one out of four claim familiarity with the car sharing concept, once familiar, the interest levels in these services zip to 38 per cent.

The survey-based study, Car Sharing End User Analysis in Selected European Cities, finds that traditional car sharing will increase from 0.7 million members in 2011 to more than 15 million members in 2020. The major interest groups include the young, the well-educated, the office goers, and university students, with no children.

“The car sharing trend is catching on rapidly due to its convenience and all-inclusive nature,” said Frost & Sullivan Automotive & Transportation Research Analyst Ricardo Moreira. “The deal clincher, however, is its cost efficiency, which was cited by 61 per cent of the respondents.”

The rising popularity of car sharing services has expectedly eaten into the share of other modes of transportation, but that is not to say it will nudge them out. Potential car sharers reported that they would – for the time being - consider replacing one out of three trips with car sharing. Between 25 to 40 percent of current drivers claimed they would give up their cars and about 60 percent of non-owners said they would refrain from buying a car.

The growing of the trend can further be observed in the Frost & Sullivan forecast that traditional car sharing in Europe will reach nearly 0.24 million vehicles by 2020. Basic and small vehicles are currently popular options among car sharing operators (CSO).

The future of the market however, will be determined by peer-to-peer (P2P) car sharing. Though only 18 per cent of respondents seem willing to share their own cars, P2P car sharing has been growing rapidly since 2008, having recorded 100 per cent growth between 2010 and 2011. As a result, the market is expected to have nearly 0.31 million vehicles in operation and more than 0.74 million members by 2020.

Related Content

  • Motor insurance for autonomous vehicles ‘will shift from drivers to OEMs’
    October 19, 2015
    Autonomous vehicles are likely to increase insurance claims related to product parameters rather than driver liability New analysis from Frost & Sullivan, Impact of Automated Vehicles on Motor Insurance Market, finds that motor insurers will move away from the driver-centric strategy to follow one or a combination of three models as automated vehicles become common: product-centric evaluation; brand-centric evaluation; system-centric evaluation.
  • Cost benefit goes under the microscope
    August 21, 2017
    Conventional cost benefit analysis (CBA) of plans for urban smart mobility initiatives needs serious rethinking, according to a recently-completed European study. The three-year Evidence Project (the Project) emerged in response to concerns about the availability and quality of documented research – including CBA – required to prove that investment in sustainable urban mobility plans (SUMPs) can be economically beneficial. Covering 22 sectors ranging from electric vehicles to shared spaces, the Project clai
  • Ho Chi Minh City ‘must invest in transportation system’
    November 21, 2014
    Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) could generate economic benefits of US$1.4 billion by investing in making its transportation system more resilient in extreme weather conditions, a study released by Siemens and consulting firm Arup today shows. Siemens and the Arup prepared the study, to show how intelligent infrastructure can assist cities in addressing the increased demand and at the same time offer better protection of their transport networks against extreme weather events. Calculations based on a review o
  • TfL ‘fastest growing contactless merchant in Europe’
    March 17, 2015
    Transport for London (TfL) claims to be the fastest growing contactless Visa merchant in Europe and the UK for Mastercard and American Express just six months after it was launched on London Underground, tram, DLR, London Overground, buses and most National Rail services in London. The world leading technology is now being used by millions of customers, providing them with easier and more convenient journeys. Customers using contactless pay the same adult-rate pay as you go fare as Oyster and benefit from h