Shared mobility: more challenging than expected, less sustainable than hoped for
Car sharing and other shared mobility services are supposed to reduce traffic and emissions – but so far, there has been little evidence of this. WU Vienna University of Economics and Business researchers have investigated why this is the case. They show: Car-centered infrastructure discourages sustainable mobility.
Sharing is better than owning: The concept of the sharing economy has enormous potential in the mobility sector, given that the average private car is only driven for around one hour a day. Shared mobility – everything from car sharing to cargo bike rental – could be an alternative to owning a car for many people, which would not only save costs but also reduce traffic congestion and emissions.
However, this hope has not yet been realized: “The only shared mobility offer that has gained widespread acceptance is so-called free-floating car sharing, where vehicles can be picked up and dropped off flexibly,” says Mirijam Mock from the Institute for Social Change and Sustainability at WU. “But studies have shown that this form of shared mobility is not much more environmentally friendly than using a private car.”
Together with her colleague Katharina Wankat, Mirijam Mock has investigated why more sustainable mobility solutions such as stationary car sharing or rental cargo bikes have so far only met with limited approval. The results show: The spread of such offers often fails because they are difficult to integrate into everyday life – which is mainly due to the existing infrastructure designed for private cars.
Mirijam Mock from the Institute for Social Change and Sustainability: “When conducting surveys on mobility behavior, the problem is that many people don't remember exactly how they got around. Our study design has helped us overcome this problem.”
Diaries on mobility behavior
In the researcher’s qualitative study, 21 participants documented their mobility habits over a period of three weeks using an app. They uploaded photos, videos and text notes that reflected their everyday mobility behavior – including the use of various car sharing services such as “ShareNow", “WienMobil Auto" from Wiener Linien or “Rail & Drive" from ÖBB.
“This allowed us to observe in real time how these people manage their mobility,” says Mirijam Mock. “When conducting surveys on mobility behavior, the problem is that many people don't remember exactly how they got around. This has helped us to overcome this problem.”
The results show: Although it is often touted as a sustainable alternative, free-floating car sharing hardly ever replaces private cars. Instead, it usually serves as a supplement rather than a replacement. Station-based car sharing and services such as rental cargo bikes, on the other hand, have greater ecological potential. However, using them means adopting multimodal mobility – a combination of public transport, cycling and walking.
In contrast to mono-modal car travel, however, multimodal forms of mobility are much more challenging: “Using multiple modes of transport not only requires planning effort, but also adequate infrastructure. A lack of cycle paths, limited parking options for cargo bikes, and convoluted digital solutions are all factors that make integration into everyday life difficult,” says co-author Katharina Wankat.
Katharina Wankat, researcher at the WU Competence Center for Nonprofit Organisations and Social Entrepreneurship: “Using multiple modes of transport not only requires planning effort, but also adequate infrastructure. A lack of cycle paths, limited parking options for cargo bikes, and convoluted digital solutions are all factors that make integration into everyday life difficult.”
Innovation alone is not enough
The authors make several recommendations to remedy this: Digital platforms that bundle various mobility services and better integration of station-based car sharing services with public transport could significantly increase the attractiveness of green mobility. However, the authors emphasize that sustainable transport cannot be driven forward by technical innovation or app-based solutions alone. The necessary infrastructure must first be provided through targeted investments and policy measures.
“Private operators often reach their limits when it comes to developing multimodal mobility concepts. In order to close this gap, the public sector needs to play an active role,” says Mirijam Mock. In the same way that the Austrian “Klimaticket” has simplified public transport for passengers, a similar simple overall subscription solution – a “Netflix for mobility” – would also be beneficial for multimodal mobility, the researchers conclude.
Detailed study results and further information
Mock, M., & Wankat, K. (2024). Why do sustainable shared mobility practices not proliferate more widely? Insights from digital mobility diaries. Journal of Cleaner Production (Elsevier), 475, Article 143582.