Understanding Travel Behavior of Electric Car-Sharing Users under Impact of COVID-19

Abstract

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has raised concerns about the use of public transport, with a surge in people considering personal car usage. However, owning private cars is costly and wasteful of resources. Electric car-sharing (ECS) is considered a safer and more private mode of transportation compared with public transportation. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected transport on transportation policies and travel willingness. What is the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on CS travel, especially considering the safety issues during the COVID-19 pandemic? This study analyses the differences in the travel characteristics of private car owners and nonowners while using CS under the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic. Quantitative analysis during four months before and four months after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic is conducted based on CS order data in Lanzhou, China. It was found that the number of CS orders fell by 55.8% during the COVID-19 pandemic. Travel behavior during the pandemic is different from that before the outbreak of the pandemic. Additionally, both private car owners and nonowners use CS while having differences in travel characteristics. Based on the results, business suggestions are introduced on the distribution of vehicles to help improve the profit of CS operators.