Owning and operating a personal vehicle in cities is becoming increasingly inefficient and costly. Car sharing systems provides access to a car for users who might not own a car, because they do not need it for daily journeys or cannot afford a private vehicle. They can also be used by companies and authorities for their fleet management.

Flickr Automobile Italia

Car sharing models present a reliable, flexible, and cost-efficient alternative to car ownership that supplements the sustainable modes of walking, cycling and public transport. Though they are generally not run by the city in which they operate, the municipality can set up a supportive infrastructure, and establish appropriate policy and legislation to integrate car sharing into the city fabric and with public transport (1).

There are different forms of car sharing. With a station-based model, customers pick up and return the vehicle from a fixed rental station (2). This type of service does not give great flexibility to the user but is convenient for reliable vehicle fleet tracking. The second type of car sharing service is the model based on free-floating operations. This model does not require pre-booking and registration of a return time, giving more flexibility to the user compared to the station-based model. However, availability of vehicles is not guaranteed and reserved parking spots for return may be limited within the city. 

Transitioning from private vehicle ownership to car sharing systems can bring social benefits such as growing financial well-being of the population achieved through saving on car purchases, reducing the space taken up by parked cars, lower consumption of resources used for the manufacturing of cars, and less waste associated with the operation of vehicles (3). Car-sharing, especially when using electric vehicles and renewable energy sources, can contribute to climate mitigation and air pollution prevention.