Understanding the urban mobility challenge: Why shared mobility providers fail to attract car drivers

Philip Fitschen, Katrin Merfeld, Jan Klein and Sven Henkel
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Philip Fitschen: EBS Universität für Wirtschaft und Recht
Katrin Merfeld: Utrecht University School of Economics, EBS Universität für Wirtschaft und Recht
Jan Klein: LEM - Lille économie management - UMR 9221 - UA - Université d'Artois - UCL - Université catholique de Lille - Université de Lille - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
Sven Henkel: EBS Universität für Wirtschaft und Recht

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Abstract: Reducing urban car traffic has become a global policy objective. A vital element in achieving this objective is the availability of shared mobility providers offering sustainable alternative travel modes such as micromobility, carsharing, and ridehailing. Despite policy and industry efforts, shared mobility options have failed to change the travel patterns of current car users. We explore this urban mobility challenge through an empirical study of 807 urban travelers. Our results show that car drivers estimate travel costs conceptually rather than rationally and consider both trip purpose and length. In particular, car users perceive longer and recreational trips as cheaper per distance driven than shorter and work-related trips. A segmentation analysis reveals that habitual and technology-averse car drivers are particularly susceptible to this skewed cost perception, unlike more frequent transit users. Embedding these results in a case study of current shared mobility options shows that these options are ill-adjusted to the preferences of car travelers but more attractive to current transit users, potentially leading to cannibalization. Based on these findings, we outline several strategies for mobility providers and policymakers to attract car drivers to shared mobility options, thereby contributing to solving the urban mobility challenge.

Keywords: Urban transport; Transport policy; Shared mobility; Travel mode; Travel cost (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024-11
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Published in Transport Policy, 2024, 158, pp.104-111. ⟨10.1016/j.tranpol.2024.09.010⟩

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-04840228

DOI: 10.1016/j.tranpol.2024.09.010

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