Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In

A number of studies have attempted to put a figure on the reduction in vehicles that results from car sharing services. Research from UC Berkeley's Susan Shaheen goes a step further and quantifies how car sharing reduces driving. Even though most customers didn't own their own cars before subscribing, Shaheen found that the overall impact of car sharing is to lower all customers' vehicle mileage by about a quarter.

New research shows that car-sharing users progressively reduce their use. Photo: Wikipedia
New research shows that car sharing users progressively reduce their driving. Photo: Wikipedia
false

Chris Smith at Portland Transport spotted a write-up of Shaheen's research in the SF Bay Guardian, and it bolstered his belief that car sharing reduces driving because it makes the cost of each trip more transparent to users:

This article looks at car sharing, attempting to figure out how many cars are removed from our streets, and what the impact on VMT is.

The consensus is 9-13 cars per sharing vehicle (compared to claims of up to 32 cars).

But the really interesting finding is that there is substantial VMT reduction even though many car-sharing customers are from car-free households. The conclusion is that over time you learn how to use the car less and less, as you get better and better at using other modes.

That matches my personal, anecdotal experience. I think a big part of that is because when each car-share trip becomes an incremental expense, the pricing signals encourage you to think harder about the alternatives.

Elsewhere on the Network today: Biking in the Upstate explains how bike planning can help with "town-gown" relations. Urban Cincy announces that Cincinnati's form-based code zoning update earned a top prize from the Congress for New Urbanism. And the State Smart Transportation Initiative reports on the regulations that local governments are implementing in response to the rapid rise of the ride-sharing industry.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Tuesday’s Headlines Are Blocked In

Cities and regional governments could do a better job of spending federal transportation money than states, argues the Brookings Institute.

May 13, 2025

Check out Seattle’s New Subway!*

*...but only for stormwater runoff, not people. And considering that cars, trucks, roads and parking lots for cars are responsible for half of stormwater volumes — and contribute most to toxic runoff — why are households that don't even drive paying to keep other's waste from polluting sensitive waterways?

May 13, 2025

Opinion: What Was Amtrak Thinking With These Layoffs?

"These cuts have the potential to undermine billions of dollars’ worth of long-term recapitalization efforts, just to save millions in its operating budget," the president of the National Rail Passengers Association argues — and the public deserves answers.

May 12, 2025

Monday’s Headlines Keep on Moving, Don’t Stop

What if you could hop on a bus the same way you stepped onto a sidewalk? Fast Company has the answer.

May 12, 2025

Cyclist Launches Class Action Suit For Bogus NYPD Red Light Tickets

The NYPD keeps ignoring a law that allows cyclists to pass through a red light on the "Walk" sign. Now, someone is making a federal case about it.

May 12, 2025
See all posts