Is access enough? A spatial and demographic analysis of one-way carsharing policies and practice

Alexandra Q. Pan, Elliot W. Martin and Susan A. Shaheen

Transport Policy, 2022, vol. 127, issue C, 103-115

Abstract: For low-income individuals, carsharing services that provide short-term, on-demand access to a fleet of shared vehicles may be a viable, low-cost alternative to personal vehicle ownership, yet the demographics of carsharing users often reflect higher income groups. Our objectives in this research study are: 1) quantify the benefits of carsharing for low-income users; 2) evaluate the effectiveness of policies targeting spatial access (e.g., parking policies, designation of service areas); and 3) review other social equity initiatives taken by carsharing operators (e.g., low-income discounts, educational training) and impacts on user demographics. We use two one-way, free-floating carsharing services as case studies: a survey of GIG (Get In and Go) Car Share users in Oakland, CA from 2018 (n = 218), and a survey of car2go users (now called ShareNow) in five North American cities from 2015 (n = 9497). We analyze these surveys using descriptive statistics, hypothesis testing, and geographic information systems (GIS) mapping.

Keywords: Carsharing; Social equity; Survey analysis; Equity policy; Spatial policy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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DOI: 10.1016/j.tranpol.2022.08.015

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