Advantages of car-sharing
What is car-sharing?
Car-sharing is a service that allows drivers to use a shared vehicle and it represents one of the pillars for sustainable urban mobility. Various forms of the car-sharing model exist. The concept most frequently in use in cities is flexible car-sharing or free-floating car-sharing.
Cars are distributed in cities within a defined business area and can be spontaneously and flexibly picked up and dropped off there at any time. Registered members can search for cars in their vicinity via their smartphones and can either reserve one for 20 minutes free of charge, or simply rent one on the spot.
There are no annual or monthly fees for members. Billing is calculated on a per-minute basis, according to the selected model and rate. Fuel, taxes and insurance are all included.
Crucially, all of this is done digitally via a smartphone app, including registration, unlocking cars, payment, and even the validation of your driver’s license.
Long-term car-sharing
In its infancy, car-sharing was typically used for single journeys lasting anywhere from a couple of minutes to an hour. Since car-sharing has matured over time, the enthusiasm for a wider range of use cases has developed. Long-term car-sharing is becoming more popular. With Free2move, you can now drive a car how long as you need thanks to our hourly or daily rates. You can also prebook a car in advance and get it delivered wherever you want for 1-30 days trips.
Why car-sharing is the future of urban mobility
On average, privately owned cars are used less than an hour a day. When you’ve got a city full of cars that are parked for 23 hours every day, occupying valuable public space, you’ve got a problem. The answer? Car-sharing.
The discrepancy between reducing the need for a vehicle whilst remaining flexibly mobile gave rise to the idea of several people sharing one car – and thus, car-sharing was born. The idea is booming, and the number of users in the car-sharing space is expected to reach 58,3 million by 2025 (Statista).
It’s easy to see why. In a recent Global Automotive Consumer study from Deloitte, it was highlighted that the so-called Generation Y (those born between 1977 and 1994) desire connectivity and convenience and are choosing from an ever-increasing range of transportation types for getting around their cities.
Advantages of car-sharing
Five reasons why car-sharing is amazing
Car-sharing is the future of urban mobility. Here are five main reasons why car-sharing is great for people, cities, and society as a whole.
1. Car-sharing saves you money
Car-sharing eliminates all the costs associated with owning a car: road tax, insurance, MOT, tyre changes, potential parking fees. All this before you even get into the vehicle. The most significant saving is on fuel. In Europe, motorists spend an average of over 1 000€ per year on fuel for their personal cars. When you add up all the other costs, whether you drive or not, the annual cost rises to over 2 000€.
2. Car-sharing is convenient and comfortable
Public transport strike? Got home late and spotted a car share vehicle right in front of you? Moving house and need a car for a few hours? Fancy a trip out with friends? Car sharing offers you maximum flexibility, even if you're a new driver. A hire can start and end wherever and whenever you want within the service area. You always have the freedom to choose your own route.
3. Car-sharing is an environmentally friendly solution
Car-sharing helps reduce traffic, pollution and parking shortages, which are the main drawbacks of driving in urban areas. Each shared car replaces between eight and twenty private cars in the city, freeing up valuable space. A shared car is used up to six times more than a private car, which means it spends more time where it should be: on the road, rather than parked, cluttering our streets. In addition, older, more polluting cars are being replaced by new, electric, low-emission vehicles.
4. Car-sharing means freedom of choice
Depending on where you live and your preferred car-sharing service, you can drive Opel, Fiat, Peugeot, and Citroën models. Thanks to the unique pricing model of car sharing, iconic models are now accessible. For hundreds of thousands of users, electric car sharing offered by Free2move and other providers is their first experience with electric mobility. Have you ever driven a 100% electric car? If so, you'll understand why car enthusiasts love them. All the power, all the torque, all the time. If you've never driven an electric vehicle, car sharing offers you the opportunity to take a leap forward.
5. Car-sharing is the future
Experts agree that car-sharing will continue to grow rapidly in the coming years. Technological advances such as autonomous driving and the increasing interconnection of different mobility solutions, as well as alternative modes of transport, will shape the mobility of tomorrow. City dwellers are already operating in an increasingly fluid, connected and sustainable ecosystem, combining car sharing, ride hailing, parking, charging and multifunctionality within a single source. The common goal is a unified, comprehensive and digital mobility solution for a better life in an interconnected world.
