How Carsharing affects Social Equity

By shifting mobility costs to a per-trip basis, carshare offers benefits for users in two categories: those with a car seeking to drive less (by offering access to a private vehicle without the need for ownership), and those without a car seeking to drive more (by reducing the upfront costs of private automobility). Carshare users tend to be car-less yet relatively affluent [1], which can be explained in part by where carshare stations are placed. Studies find that carshare stations are more likely to be located in higher-income neighborhoods with higher-than-average rates of employment and levels of education [2], [3]. Early carshare adopters tended to be white [4]. However, as the market has matured, recent evidence suggests that after controlling for income, Black and Asian travelers are more likely to use carshare than white travelers [5]. Carshare programs with public subsidies that enable reduced rates for eligible low-income residents are a promising policy solution; they can help people who could most benefit from additional automobility, while expanding carshare stations for all users [6].

References

  1. S. Shaheen and E. Martin, “The Impact of Carsharing on Household Vehicle Ownership,” ACCESS Magazine, no. 38, 2011. Accessed: Nov. 02, 2022. [Online]. Available: https://www.accessmagazine.org/spring-2011/impact-carsharing-household-vehicle-ownership/

  2. J. Jiao and F. Wang, “Shared mobility and transit-dependent population: A new equity opportunity or issue?,” Int. J. Sustain. Transp., vol. 15, no. 4, pp. 294–305, 2021.

  3. J. Tyndall, “Where no cars go: Free-floating carshare and inequality of access,” Int. J. Sustain. Transp., vol. 11, no. 6, pp. 433–442, 2017.

  4. J. Burkhardt and A. Millard-Ball, “Who is Attracted to Carsharing? – Jon E. Burkhardt, Adam Millard-Ball, 2006,” Transp. Res. Rec., vol. 1986, no. 1, pp. 98–105, 2006, doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/0361198106198600113.

  5. K. Hyun, C. Cronley, F. Naz, S. Robinson, and J. Harwerth, “Assessing Viability of Car-Sharing for Low-Income Communities,” Art. no. CTEDD 018-04 SG, Jan. 2019, Accessed: Jan. 10, 2022. [Online]. Available: https://trid.trb.org/view/1641109

  6. J. Paul, M. Pinski, M. Brozen, and E. Blumenberg, “Can Subsidized Carshare Programs Enhance Access for Low-Income Travelers? A Case Study of BlueLA in Los Angeles,” J. Am. Plann. Assoc., pp. 1–14, 2023.

Related Literature Reviews

See Literature Reviews on Carsharing

See Literature Reviews on Social Equity

Note: Mobility COE research partners conducted this literature review in Spring of 2024 based on research available at the time. Unless otherwise noted, this content has not been updated to reflect newer research.

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