Why Car Sharing Now?
The need for mobility of billions of people around the globe is not new – nor will this need likely be abating any time soon. For most that enjoy the use of public transportation and are looking for more accessible alternatives to combine the usage of both, public and private transportation, the key to meeting their mobility needs seems to be flexibility, limiting expenditures and ease.
Car sharing is not just about driving cars, it is about adapting different attitudes towards transportation and getting around; about changing consumer behaviours in an oil-dependent world; and reducing the amount of CO2 into the environment. On the most pragmatic and immediate level, it is about increasing quality of life for its end-users, transportation systems – and an important transitory solution to decrease the amount of private vehicle traffic in congested cities.
Mobility International Inc. is a 100% subsidiary of the Mobility Genossenschaft Switzerland. Its primary mission is to provide the necessary technology, comprehensive skills and expertise of Mobility car sharing Switzerland to those organizations and individuals who are interested in the extensive experience of Mobility car sharing Switzerland – over 20 years of "Research & Development" in the field of car sharing – with a proven track record of viability and profitability. Mobility International is now poised to share this knowledge through the development of its state-of-the-art car sharing technology and business processes systems, having achieved the right balance, throughout years of development, of an optimal number of car sharing users with the necessary amount of cars! This demand-driven approach balance is the key success factor to Mobility International’s efficient and effective approach.
Mobility Moves People!
As a leading car sharing company, Mobility Genossenschaft Switzerland provides a varied pool of cars and boasts the largest network of stations in Switzerland (some 1'250). These services are based on economical, technological and ecological efficiency. Mobility stands for professional and customer-oriented car sharing at attractive prices.
The Ease of Mobility Car Sharing to the User:
- the experience of the car sharing process is very simple and user-friendly.
- immediate self-service at any time, and in any available, location by the hour.
- modern vehicle types suited to all needs.
- use of highly reliable technology.
- professionally serviced vehicle fleet the added value of sustainability thanks to combined mobility.
Combined Mobility
With Mobility car sharing, it is possible to take part in a “combined mobility” - this is to say that when choosing various options of transportation, the Mobility car sharing option is designed to be combined with various other modes of transportation - easy to merge with other means: buses, trains, trams, bicycles and cars - and even pedestrian - all easily, in any sequence, to ensure that the individual car is used more efficiently.
What are the Practical Advantages for Car Sharing Customers?
The costs of car-sharing are transparent. All costs are included, and there are no extra fees for insurance, taxes etc. – as is often the case with car rental models.
The costs of car sharing are on a pay-as-you drive basis, while individual car ownership requires a fixed cost (parking, repairs, insurance, depreciation) basis whether the vehicle is used or not. The real cost of each car sharing journey is easy to calculate and appears on the invoice per use. For those maintaining an annual driving average of less than 12,000 km, car sharing is the most cost effective option – this is especially the case for those living in urban areas with good public transport infrastructures. Driving less means paying less – this means that car sharing makes good financial sense!
Owning a car means keeping it in good condition and the time and expense that goes along with it, along with the regular car inspections it requires. But, with car sharing, this is all included with the car – and seamless.
For the client (in comparison with a private car) between CHF 3500-4900 (EUR 2500-3500) per year.
Some Compelling Facts about Car Sharing
Why is car sharing the most intelligent development since the car?
- Each car sharing vehicle replaces four to eight private cars, on the road today, in Switzerland.
- The pay-as-you-drive system, instead of the fixed costs attributed to individual car ownership, are optimal because of cost savings and reduction of CO2 emissions.
- Car sharing provides an incentive for people to decrease individual car usage, and instead use public transport, a bike or to walk - creating an immediate healthier lifestyle impact.
- Car sharers have a greater variety of transport options available to them as when deciding on how they will travel.
- Car sharing vehicles are generally recent models, and are therefore less polluting and more energy efficient.
- Since space in congested cities is limited, the increasing demand for space by motorised transport (such as space taken up by parked vehicles) has reached its limits. Public space should serve more than transport needs, because it is also valuable for other social and environmental uses. Strategies for making our cities more family-friendly, for improving local environments require a sound car sharing model to manage the balance between the need for individualized mobility and decreasing the overall impact on the environment and quality of urban life.
Why does engaging in the practice of car sharing lead to a fundamental shift in consumer behaviour towards car usage?
The results of various studies have indicated the following changes in behaviour towards car usage:
- people give up individual car usage after joining a car sharing programme and increase their use of public transport, bicycles, scooters and walk more - and combine this usage with the individual car sharing vehicle.
- car sharers have more options for how they move around, and therefore, use public transport more often.
- previous car owners have reduced the amount of per-car kilometers driven by about 1,000-1,600km annually, and doubled their kilometers traveled on public transport.
- the reduction of direct reduction of energy consumption, carbon dioxide emissions and noise pollution
- the Swiss Study of 2006 stated a reduction in individual transport-related energy consumption of 55%.4.
What are the aggregate benefits of car sharing to communities, and society as a whole?
- Car sharing replaces individual car usage, and is a tool to achieve more efficient use of the car and the infrastructures related to car use.
- Car sharing is an innovative service that seems to be the best way to reduce the number of cars on congested city streets and to reclaim street space at the same time.
- Car sharing vehicles used are efficient vehicles and environmentally-friendly as car-sharing providers offer low emission cars.
- Car sharing is one of the most efficient ways of reducing energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions generated as a result of personal mobility; at the same time it allows for more choice and greater mobility options than conventional car ownership.
- With car sharing, energy consumption for personal mobility is approximately halved.
- With its potential to reduce the need for a private car, car Sharing is a vital element of strategies for sustainable urban development; parking is not only a financial question but also one of urban design and the quality of urban living.
- Creating attractive urban environments provides an alternative to the still ongoing trend of sub-urbanisation.
Facts & Figures in Review: Studies und Conclusions on Trends
- "The current recession has individuals looking to alternative mobility services, and car sharing emerges as a star," notes Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst David Zhao. "As a sustainable and innovative personal transport solution, car sharing grew significantly in the past two years, showing great potential, and implying enormous business opportunities for stakeholders."
- "The introduction of these innovative services and increasing commercialisation, car sharing is expected to garner more than 5.5 million members sharing around 77,000 vehicles in Europe by 2016," predicts Aswin Kumar, Senior Research Analyst at Frost & Sullivan's Automotive & Transportation Group.
- Car sharing has an estimated revenue potential of more than euro 2.6 billion by 2016 and the potential to replace more than 1 million vehicles by 2016 in Europe alone. Frost & Sullivan Research (published 2010).
- The Swiss Federal Office of Energy, WHEN/WHAT Study, 2006.
- Association of German PT Operators (vdv -Verband Deutscher Verkehrsunternehmen) and the Federal Association for car sharing (Bundesverband CarSharing bcs), Mobilitätsbaustein CarSharing; Empfehlungen zur Kooperation mit dem ÖPNV, vdv Mitteilungen 10.009; Cologne, 2004.
- “CarSharing - The key to Combined Mobility“, Study for the Swiss Federal Office of Energy, Berne, 1998
- MVV und car sharing – Ergebnisse einer Repräsentativbefragung von Kunden der Münchner car sharing Organisation STATTAUTO München (results of a sampling of customers of the Munich car sharing Organisation STATTAUTO), Munich 1996.
