"Car share is dead, long live car share!"
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"Car share is dead, long live car share!"
A deep dive into the history of US car-sharing and a vision for the future.
I was recently encouraged by friends and colleagues to turn a draft version of an editorial on car-sharing into a finished piece. With the help of car-sharing founders and operators, and a body of academic research, the editorial, “Car Share is dead, long live car share!”, explores the 23-year history of car-sharing in the US.
The editorial traces car-share’s history in the US: starting with its birth in Portland, Oregon, with CarSharing Portland, its proliferation across the US, its evolution, where it went astray, and how it has faltered by making the same mistakes time and time again. The piece outlines the lessons learned and articulates a clear vision of what car share should aspire to be moving forward.
You can read the full editorial here:
“Car share is dead, long live car share!”
I was recently encouraged by friends and colleagues to turn a draft version of an editorial on car-sharing into a finished piece. With the help of car-sharing founders and operators, and a body of academic research, the editorial, “Car Share is dead, long live car share!”, explores the 23-year history of car-sharing in the US.
The editorial traces car-share’s history in the US: starting with its birth in Portland, Oregon, with CarSharing Portland, its proliferation across the US, its evolution, where it went astray, and how it has faltered by making the same mistakes time and time again. The piece outlines the lessons learned and articulates a clear vision of what car share should aspire to be moving forward.
You can read the full editorial here:
“Car share is dead, long live car share!”
If 51 pages are a bit daunting, here’s a summary:
Demand is strong. From the first day of the first US program 23 years ago demand has been strong. The US car share industry has only been able to deliver for 0.5% of the available demand.
Car share is profitable and the car share programs that dramatically left the US did so because their parent companies had other priorities.
Buying car inventory is expensive. This has limited even the most profitable companies from expanding to answer customer demand.
Community-owned cars can distribute the costs.
The technology has to be bulletproof.
“Transportation is non-negotiable and imperative for people - they need to get to jobs, doctor’s appointments, pick up kids, etc. When tech fails in car share it is painfully obvious and can lead to rapid defection and abandonment of a car share service.” - Alan Bates, Fleet Business Operations Supervisor at the City of Portland.
Car share marketplaces don’t support locals. The incentives for these marketplaces cause them to focus on business and vacation travelers, leaving out local communities.
Free-floating car share doesn’t provide cars to the people who need them most. If there is no parking availability then no free-floating cars can ever park there.
Free-floating fleets require repositioning which is both expensive and creates more vehicle miles traveled.
Access = Usage. A 10-minute walk to a shared car is 7-minutes too far for most people, and when they get there they must be able to access it efficiently or they will never come back again.
All shared vehicles should be electric. A single shared electric car can remove the emissions of up to 20 privately owned gas cars.