The Sharing Economy Part 2: Transportation

by Tim Richards

Associate, Clarion Associates

Shared transportation has been at the forefront of media coverage regarding the shared economy. From the rapid growth of transportation networking companies (TNCs) like Uber and Lyft, to expanding car sharing services like car2go or ZipCar , to new services and partnerships , changes in shared transportation are changing the way we think about mobility.

Given ridesourcing’s rapid pace of change, identifying and responding to the potential benefits and drawbacks can be a challenge. Cities have struggled to enact appropriate regulations for TNCs in the face of popular support and sometimes intense lobbying efforts by the companies. For example, San Antonio initially adopted requirements for driver fingerprinting and drug testing, after which Uber suspended service there. Several months later, the city revised its regulations, and Uber returned. While the story has played out differently in different cities, accounts of conflict are not uncommon in the press. At the same time, there are examples of partnerships being formed between local transit agencies and TNCs in order to extend the reach of existing transit services, such as the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority’s partnership with Uber in the Tampa Bay area and the Ride KC: Bridj pilot project in Kansas City.

Car sharing services may be particularly well suited for integration with transit services, creating a symbiotic effect. This integration can range from designated spaces in transit station parking areas to passes that provide access to transit and shared cars. Besides potential for reducing vehicle miles traveled when integrated with transit, car sharing has other exciting possibilities for increasing sustainability. Car sharing may incorporate electric vehicles, reducing greenhouse gas emissions. An example of this is the BlueIndy car-share service in Indianapolis, which currently has 69 designated parking spaces with integrated charging stations, and 200 total planned. The convergence of major investments in electric vehicle charging stations and increasing use of car sharing services may eventually yield electric car sharing on a much larger scale. There is even evidence that suggests that exposure to electric vehicles through car sharing could contribute to more rapid adoption of electric vehicle technology. In addition to potential environmental benefits, car sharing may be able to make transportation more equitable.  Two pilot programs, one in Chicago and another in Los Angeles, are currently exploring the potential of car sharing programs to improve mobility in low-income areas.

Communities considering how to plan for new forms of shared transportation can draw on a variety of resources. One of the most helpful that I have found is One Earth’s 2015 report, Local Governments and the Sharing Economy, which lays out a framework for engaging new forms of shared transportation as an alternative to what might be an ad hoc response. The report includes a chapter on shared mobility, with an emphasis on sustainability. It advocates a shift toward integrated mobility planning, and provides recommendations for initial steps. Other helpful resources include the National League of Cities’ sharing economy research and resources and the Shared Use Mobility Center research and tools.

Impacts of new forms of shared transportation on zoning codes have mainly been limited to reductions in required off-street parking where car sharing spaces are provided. This is based on the proposition that availability of car sharing reduces parking demand, a proposition which has some support. For example, a 2013 article in the Journal of the American Planning Association by Joshua Engel-Yan and Dylan Passmore found a decrease in parking demand in condominiums and apartment buildings where car sharing spaces were provided. Many communities have amended their zoning codes to provide a reduction in the minimum parking requirements when car sharing spaces are provided (for example, Austin, Texas). The size of the reduction and the situations in which it is allowed are determinations specific to each community. In making that determination, communities might consider available studies, such as the one referenced above, examples from other jurisdictions, and the areas in the community where car sharing is most likely to be viable.

Along with the potential for positive impacts on mobility that new transportation sharing forms provide, there are potential drawbacks, including reduced transit usage and increasing inequity in the distribution of mobility options. Most would agree that new forms of shared transportation are not all bad or all good, but may be engaged more or less effectively to meet a community’s goals for mobility and sustainability. Considering new shared transportation technologies that are on the horizon, and others that we haven’t heard of yet, communities would do well to maintain a program of holistic mobility planning that will allow them to effectively engage new forms of shared transportation as they emerge.

This article is the second of a three-part Sharing Economy blog post series that originated from the Clarion Associates Sharing Economy webinar, which can be viewed here on our YouTube channel.

Photo Source: http://boisestatepublicradio.org/post/what-drives-us-car-sharing-reflects-cultural-shift