To what degree can carsharing subsitute car ownership? Self-reported evidence from carsharing users and the general population

We discuss to what extent carsharing can replace traditional car ownership in the Norwegian context. Our analysis builds on two web-surveys: one among members of a carsharing service and one among a large sample of the general population in the largest cities in Norway. The majority (60%) of carsharing members would not have bought a car in the absence of the carsharing service, but they also say that they would have used a rental service (65%) or another carsharing service (77%) instead. Among the general population, about 17% answered that they were likely or highly likely to join a carsharing service in the near future. This share was lower for those who already own a car. The average interest in renting out their cars was also quite low. If our analysis is to be any guide to communicative policies to the general car-owning population, it would be to focus on the convenience motive for getting car owners to consider replacing their car ownership with carsharing, and the personal profit motive for getting car owners interested in renting out their cars.