Abstract
PurposeFollowing the recent surge in research on carsharing, the paper synthesizes this growing literature to provide a comprehensive understanding of the current state of research and to identify directions for future work. Specifically, this study details implications for service theory and practice.Design/methodology/approachSystematic selection and analysis of 279 papers from the existing literature, published between 1996 and 2020.FindingsThe literature review identified four key themes: business models, drivers and barriers, customer behavior, and vehicle balancing.Practical implicationsFor managers, the study illuminates the importance of collaboration among stakeholders within the automotive sector for purposes of widening their customer base and maximizing utilization and profits. For policy makers, their important role in supporting carsharing take-off is highlighted with emphasis on balancing support rendered to different mobility services to promote mutual success.Originality/valueThis is the first systematic multi-disciplinary literature review of carsharing. It integrates insights from transportation, environmental, and business studies, identifying gaps in the existing research and specifically suggesting implications for service research.
Highlights
Environmental concerns and the specter of “peak car” – the idea that per capita distance traveled by an automobile will fall, threatening the traditional mass-market car business – have prompted automotive manufacturers, service providers, NGOs, and policy makers worldwide to devise and offer a wide range of carsharing services
In the second stage, we identified and selected relevant publications, using the specified keywords (“carsharing,” “shared mobility,” “mobility services” and “mobility-as-a-service”) to search the Scopus database
3.1 Evolution of carsharing The concept of carsharing can be traced back to 1948 in Zurich, Switzerland, when the earliest known carsharing cooperative was formed by a group of private individuals
Summary
Environmental concerns and the specter of “peak car” – the idea that per capita distance traveled by an automobile will fall, threatening the traditional mass-market car business – have prompted automotive manufacturers, service providers, NGOs, and policy makers worldwide to devise and offer a wide range of carsharing services. Carsharing refers to the temporary right to exclusive use of a car without the responsibilities of ownership, with payments linked to usage and/or subscription fees. The full terms of this licence may be seen at http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode
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