Economic and environmental impacts of organised Car Sharing Services: A case study of Ireland

Abstract

To meet the binding annual Green House Gas (GHG) emission targets according to the European Union (EU) Effort Sharing Decision by 2020, transport related CO2 emissions are required to be reduced in Ireland. Internationally Car Sharing (CS) has been identified as a means of reducing car dependency and travel related CO2 emissions while still allowing users the benefits of car access. Rabbitt & Ghosh (2013) established that CSS adoption would be beneficial to Dublin & the benefits may extend to Ireland. This study extended the work by providing a detailed framework of evaluating economic and environmental impacts of joining CSS for both individuals and the collective society. The study also expanded the estimation of travel behaviour changes from the users in Dublin city to the potential users in the entire country of Ireland.The analysis identified that car owners who travel predominantly on alternative modes, could make significant travel cost and CO2 emission savings through joining CSS. The long-term benefits included a slower growth rate of car-ownership and in turn generating significantly high CO2 savings of 84 kt for Dublin and up to 229 kt for Ireland with some policy and financial support.