Car share clubs have been successfully operating on a relatively large scale only since 1987, when the first scheme began in Switzerland. Schemes then spread to Germany, Austria and the Netherlands, and more recently to the UK, Denmark, Italy, Sweden, Canada and the USA. In becoming established, one major barrier has been the lack of involvement or support from local and national Government, although there are signs that Government attitudes are becoming more enthusiastic to the idea of encouraging car sharing. The purpose of this paper is to identify cases where such a change in attitude has occurred, how various levels of Government have translated this into action, and what lessons could be learnt from each example. From the case studies looked at, the research identified that car clubs have benefited from the support of Government, local councils, and other bodies through: intellectual backing; political support; provision of 'usable' parking spaces; funds to help the club buy and run vehicles; financial and organisational help to market schemes effectively; links with public transport operators, so that new ticketing, information and marketing products can be developed; tax breaks for car club users and/or operators; and through alterations to the planning code to allow developers to reduce the parking they are required to provide in return for help with any of the above. The paper draws on results from the European Commission-sponsored MOSES (Mobility Services for Urban Sustainability) project. The review was completed as part of the work package on Integration into Urban Planning. For the covering abstract see ITRD E124693.
Abstract