Car share is a scheme whereby its fee-paying members can have access to vehicles through a booking system and pay for the usage of vehicles according to how much they have actually travelled by time and by distance. Car sharing differs from ride-sharing or carpooling in that it is not designed to transport a group of individuals to a common destination at the same time. Car sharing may be thought of as short-term car rental, although the shared vehicle tends to be in the users' neighbourhood within walking distance. Conceivably, car share will also increase safety in travel and reduce the road toll through lower VKT, less exposure, more public transport usage, and better serviced vehicles offered by car share organizations. But does car share have a potential market in Australian cities - specifically, in Melbourne? To answer this question, a research project was carried out by the Transport Research Centre, RMIT University. The study first reviewed the overseas car share programs and existing Australian studies, and examined the socio-demographic features of residents living in the local government area (LGA) of Melbourne, then proceeded to investigate their travel and activity patterns. The analysis draws upon data collected as part of the Victorian Activity and Travel Survey (VATS), which at the time of the analysis has accumulated information for over 30,000 households in Metropolitan Melbourne. The conclusion of this study is that the Melbourne LGA has a significant potential market suitable for car share schemes. The study also recognised that our general dependency on cars, some corporate practices and many other established ways of doing things need to be changed before this innovative program can take off in Australia. (Author/publisher) For the covering entry of this conference, please see ITRD abstract no. E205861.
Samenvatting