Nordic Carsharing: The City of Oslo

This 2011 report by May Hald, Petter Christiansen and Vibeke Nenseth of the Norwegian Center for Transport Research on carsharing in Oslo gives us a good feel not only for carsharing activities in that one city but also more generally user preferences and choice factors in Norway and Scandinavia.

Car-sharing in Oslo

- May Hald, Petter Christiansen and Vibeke Nenseth Oslo 2011

 Abtract:

There are clear targets to reduce traffic related emissions and noise, as well as improve accessibility for travelers in Oslo. One way to address these challenges is to examine alternatives to private car ownership.

Car-sharing is a good example of this type of alternative. Knowledge and experience from both Norway and abroad show that car-sharing can lead to a reduction in car-use because car-sharing members dispose of their cars, use cars less often and/or delay the purchase of a car. Car-sharing is often chosen by members for financial and practical reasons, yet there are positive environmental outcomes as well. Most members in the Norwegian car-sharing organization Bilkollektivet are in their 30’s-40’s, well educated, financially stable and have access to public transportation. They are very satisfied with the service, which is positive in terms of the potential for an increased market share in Oslo.

To achieve this, identifying new potential users, linkages to public transportation organizations and various forms of public support need to be considered.

The results of this report are based on a national and international literature review, discussions with key informants and an Internet survey

(From closing section of the summary)

Various studies and qualitative analysis have shown that institutional and/or public support and cooperation, in terms of incentives and education, can be especially valuable in realizing the potential of car-sharing. Swedish Trafikverket points to the following success criteria:

• Convenience and ease of booking, pick-up and availability


• Reduction in transportation costs


• Reliability of the organization and vehicles


• Cooperation between public transportation organizations and car-sharing organizations


• Local enthusiasts and entrepreneurs

To increase the market share of car-sharing in Oslo, identifying new potential users, linkages to public transportation organizations with carsharing organizations and various forms of public support need to be considered

- ->The English language summary report as well as the full 54 page Norwegian language report is available at https://www.toi.no/publications/car-sharing-in-oslo-article30590-29.html

* A related 2012 publication under the title  Innovative collective mobility solutions - carsharing as a case is also available from the Norwegian Center for Transport Research at  https://www.toi.no/publications/innovative-collective-mobility-solutions-carsharing-as-a-case-article31271-29.html

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The Norwegian Center for Transport Research, TOI is the national institution for transport research and development. It was established in 1958 by the Royal Norwegian Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, and became an independent non profit research foundation in 1986.

Its sphere of activity includes most current issues in road, rail, sea and air transport. The Institute's main objectives are to: be a national centre for transport research, co-operate on research projects with other organisations in Norway and at an international level, disseminate research results, contribute to high professional standards in the transport sector. The Institute has normally at least 200 projects in progress at any time.

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