The Advantages of Shared Mobility
Shared Mobility, vehicle sharing, and other diverse mobility solutions are changing how we travel as we now have numerous cost-effective and more sustainable alternatives to personal vehicle ownership.
Shared mobility provides passengers with access to a vehicle for a short-term basis, as and when they need it, which reduces their living costs.
1. Environmental Benefits
The use of shared mobility lowers the amount of personal vehicle ownership and as a result significantly reduces Co2 emissions. By using a shared vehicle each user can reduce congestion, pollution, and energy consumption making it an excellent and easy option for a more sustainable lifestyle.
Using shared mobility also supports the European Union’s goals of achieving a low-emission economy by reducing congestion.
2. Reduces Living Costs
Studies have shown that the average car owner uses their car for just 9 hours a week, meaning it spends the remaining 159 hours a week sitting idle on a driveway or car park. According to the AA the average cost of running a car is approximately €10,691.12 per annum. Using the €9 average of using a shared car for 9 hours a week, 52 weeks of the year costs the user €4,212 per annum! Meaning each car owner could potentially save almost €6,480 per year by switching to a shared vehicle!
3. Accessibility
According to the Oireachtas’ report on Regional and Rural Transport Policy, “the provision of a high quality, inter-connected system of transport in rural Ireland” is integral to the “realisation of the inherent social and economic potential which exists in rural areas”.
Increasing the mobility options in these rural areas will help combat social exclusion, which many rural communities currently face due to the lack of transport available to them. One of the most impacted age groups is the older community, with 37% of these group saying that their transport needs are not currently being met by public or private means in rural areas.
Many rural towns in Ireland rely heavily on the tourism trade which once again can be hindered by the lack of public transport available. A shared mobility scheme can combat this by increasing accessibility to some of these harder to reach areas.
4. Land Use
Car parking in urban areas has been an issue for years, with the NTA expressing their concerns at the reduction in car parking spaces in new Dublin City development plan. An excellent solution to this issue is the transition to bikes from cars. Approximately 10 bikes can fit into 1 car space!!
All in all, the transition away from private vehicle ownership and towards shared mobility will reduce living costs and congestion in urban areas; increase transport opportunities in rural areas and combat social exclusion; and will positively impact the amount of carbon emissions being produced in an area!
Sources
CARDI. “Transport and rural ageing.”
Cyclehoop. https://www.cyclehoop.com/product/racks/car-bike-port/.
Oireachtas. “Regional and Rural Transport Policy.” https://data.oireachtas.ie/ie/oireachtas/committee/dail/32/joint_committee_on_rural_and_community_development/reports/2019/2019-07-17_report-on-regional-and-rural-transport-policy_en.pdf.
The AA. The Cost of Motoring https://www.theaa.ie/aa/motoring-advice/cost-of-motoring.aspx.
