It’s official, collaborative consumption works! A new study shows that car sharing is now proven to reduce the overall interest in personal vehicle ownership.
A recent study conducted by the University of California Transportation Center found that car sharing services actually reduce the number of personal vehicles owned. Apparently joining a car sharing network triggers some sort of chemical reaction in your brain that brings you to the overwhelming realization that you didn’t really ever need that personal vehicle in the first place.
All jokes aside, there is some truth to the linkage of ride sharing services and the member’s interest in maintaining a personal vehicle. The study contacted 6,281 households participating in car sharing networks and found that after joining car swapping services, cars owned per household averaged .24, versus the .47 owned before participating in ride sharing. That’s almost a 50% reduction in personal vehicles owned and certainly nothing to scoff at.
If that news wasn’t green enough, it turns out that vehicles in car sharing networks tend to be more fuel efficient, averaging about 33 mpg, compared to the personal vehicle which only averages about 23 mpg.
So how about it, would you swap your personal car (and the maintenance bills that come along with it) to join a car sharing service? Let us know by adding your comments below, or keep the conversation going on our Facebook page.
(Photo by John Lloyd)
Swap.com Mobile is a free iPhone is app that lets you scan items into your HAVE and WANT lists, manage your account, see what you can get for your stuff, and participate in swaps.
Car sharing and ride sharing (aka car pooling) are different things but you seem to use them interchangeably. I have no idea what car swapping is.