Shared cars, you see them more and more on the road. Time to zoom in on the benefits of car sharing, both for individuals and for our society.

The car: for some it is a status symbol, for others necessary to get from A to B. In any case, it is a fact that more and more people no longer consider the actual car as necessary, or even consider it a burden that is better left to others. Car sharing is upcoming and the number of shared cars and shared-car users in the Netherlands is also growing extremely fast. Below you can read about the advantages of car sharing for individuals and for the society.

Owning a car is inefficient and expensive
Why should we actually get rid of our car and go for car sharing? Because owning a car is very inefficient. On average, people only use their own car 5% of the time. On the other hand, you can always use your personal car, which is of course comfortable and gives you freedom. These advantages make owning a car worthwhile for many people, despite the high cost and the many hours when that thing is gathering dust. For a long time there was no good alternative to owning a car, especially if you didn’t like waiting and changing trains and found cabs too expensive. Thanks to car sharing, that has changed. Especially in urban areas, the benefits of car sharing outweigh the benefits of car ownership.

Why is car sharing beneficial?
The concept of car sharing is inherently very efficient. After all, a shared car is used much more often than a private car and by many more people. Also, the operational costs of the shared car are shared by the many users. Several studies have shown that one shared car can replace about thirteen private cars.

When car sharing works
There are a few requirements for the success of car sharing concepts, though. One is user-friendliness. Choosing a shared car should not be complicated for individuals, but easy, clear and reliable. Technology like the MaaS app Gaiyo, which offers an overview of all (shared) transport options in the neighborhood, plays an important role in this.
Another condition for the success of car sharing is that the market must be suitable for it. The population density must be high to generate users and street parking must also be possible. Urban areas, with many young environmentally conscious citizens who already embraced the sharing concept, are the most promising.

Advantages of car sharing for individuals

At the private level, car sharing offers many advantages. We list the most important ones.

Financial advantages of car sharing: shared cars are a lot cheaper
One of the main advantages of car sharing is of obvious costs. Owning a car is an expensive business. The following costs are eliminated by car sharing.

• The purchase or lease amount
• Car Insurance
• Road Tax
• Cost of maintenance
• Reparations
• APK inspection
• breakdown service
• Fuel
• Parking and parking license

• Depreciation costs

For owning a car, there are always high costs. There are no such costs with car sharing, which makes car sharing accessible to a wider audience. You only pay for the ride, that’s it. If you include all the additional costs of a private car, the cost per kilometer of a shared car is a small amount compared to the cost per kilometer of a private car.

Shared cars are easier
Buying and maintaining a vehicle can be quite a burden. It takes time, it costs money, and if you choose a used one, there’s also the risk that you’ll end up spending more time at the garage than in your car itself. If you can even find a reliable car mechanic…. If you choose car sharing, all this fuss is in the past.

Shared cars are good for your health
Users of shared cars are more likely to use other alternative forms of transport, such as bicycles or public transport. They also walk more than people with their own car under the carport. So shared car users get more exercise and that is very good for your health.

Car sharing lowers your carbon footprint
Shared cars are good for the environment. They are more often electric and therefore cleaner and quieter than many private cars. In this way, you can reduce the number of cars on the road. This means you are making a valuable contribution to the environment and the climate.

Benefits of car sharing for the society.

Once shared car concepts operate successfully, they also have several benefits for the society.

Less traffic jams  
After all, fewer cars means less traffic and therefore fewer traffic jams and congestion. Road users will therefore also spend less time in traffic, as the chances of delays are reduced.

Environmental benefits of car sharing: cleaner air
With the increase in the number of shared cars, there is also less air pollution. This is not only because there are fewer vehicles, but also because share cars are newer, cleaner and increasingly electric, improving air quality.

Better mobility infrastructure
Users of shared cars tend to walk, bike and use other forms of transportation more often. This can increase support for the development of better infrastructure for these forms of transportation. For example, wider sidewalks and more bike lanes and car-free areas.

Public health benefits of car sharing
As air quality improves and people get more exercise, public health also improves. This is not only good news for healthcare, but also for taxpayers.

More attractive public space
As there are fewer cars, there is also less need for parking spaces. The existing parking facilities will become more accessible. The excess parking spaces can be given a different use, for example residential or urban green space.

Less dirty vehicles on the road
Because shared cars are used more intensively than private cars, they are also replaced more often. So more and more clean and quiet cars will be on our roads.

Mobility is becoming more and more seen as a service
The more shared cars and shared car users there are, the more mature the concept of mobility as a service (MaaS) becomes. This also provides an opportunity for other shared transport solutions, such as shared mopeds or bicycles. Smart technological MaaS facilities, such as transport app Gaiyo, facilitate this.