Most trips in U.S. metropolitan regions are drive-alone car trips, an expensive and inefficient means of moving people. A more efficient system would allow drivers to share cars. Such a system is often less convenient for travelers, but convenience can be enhanced by deploying "smart" technologies in concert with shared-use vehicles and transit. The motivation for this research is to determine how the use of information and communication technologies can enhance flexibility and mobility-and what value travelers will place on these new transportation means.

Most trips in U.S. metropolitan regions are drive-alone car trips, an expensive and inefficient means of moving people. A more efficient system would allow drivers to share cars. Such a system is often less convenient for travelers, but convenience can be enhanced by deploying “smart” technologies in concert with shared-use vehicles and transit. The motivation for this research is to determine how the use of information and communication technologies can enhance flexibility and mobility—and what value travelers will place on these new transportation means. My dissertation, using new survey research methods, examines CarLink, a smart carsharing service designed and deployed under my direction. This dissertation integrates social marketing and learning theories with human activity analysis approaches to explain the processes by which travelers can and might accept a transportation innovation. I focus on methods of presentation and learning to examine response dynamics. To explain the CarLink system to consumers, I developed several informational media: a brochure, video, and “trial” clinic. My dissertation is based on a longitudinal survey of responses to informational media that I conducted with San Francisco Bay Area residents in the summer of 1998. The survey results provide the attitudinal and belief data needed to evaluate dynamics in an individual’s learning and valuing response to an innovation. To assist in evaluation and interpretation, I also conducted four focus groups, which I moderated, in October 1998. I found that willingness to use CarLink was influenced by the amount and type of exposure, as predicted by social marketing and learning theories. Informational media were used to teach targeted groups, and behavioral modeling (e.g., the video and drive clinic) was introduced to develop participants’ confidence in adopting new behaviors. For instance, participants who only read the brochure lost interest over time, while a large majority of those who read the brochure, watched the video, and participated in the clinic, stated that they would use CarLink. I documented the process by which individuals moved through definable stages in the behavioral adoption model, from precontemplation to contemplation, and in many cases into action.

There has been significant interest and activity in shared-use vehicle systems as an innovative mobility solution. Shared-use vehicle systems, that is, carsharing and station cars, consist of a fleet of vehicles used by several different individuals throughout the day. Shared-use vehicles offer the convenience of a private automobile and more flexibility than public transportation alone. From the 1990s to today, varying degrees of intelligent transportation system technologies have been applied to shared-use systems, providing better manageability and customer service. Many shared-use vehicles service providers today include some degree of advanced technologies (online reservations, vehicle tracking, smart card access) in their operations. Currently, there is a developing need for interoperability among shared-use vehicle service providers (e.g., smart card access among carsharing organizations) and transit operators (e.g., transit fare collection via smart cards). Interoperability will likely result in higher customer satisfaction and use, leading to greater market penetration. Similarly, some standardization will likely unfold for overall operational techniques (online reservations and insurance policies), customer interactions, and to some degree vehicle interfaces. Because shared-use vehicle systems are still a relatively new mobility concept, an industrywide standardization approach is still premature. Nevertheless, there are attempts to identify many of the important issues that will play a significant role in the interoperability discussions among shared-use vehicle providers and the development of industry standards in the future. There are key elements in intelligent shared-use vehicle system operations and trade-offs encountered during the pioneering stage of shared-use vehicle system developments. Topics to discuss include vehicles, user-system interactions, user-vehicle interactions, and system operations.

At present, the City of Davis, surrounding communities, and the UC Davis campus are struggling with many of the same transportation problems that plague larger urban centers including increasing traffic, limited parking, and challenges to effective operation of the public transit system. The campus is expecting to grow by 6,000 students in the next ten years (plus approximately 3,000 faculty and staff) and is developing a Long-Range Development Plan (LRDP) that will serve to guide this growth. This plan will include housing, traffic control, parking, alternative transportation modes, and interactions with the broader community. The development of the LRDP provides a unique opportunity for the Institute of Transportation Studies-Davis (ITS-Davis), the University of California (UC)-wide partners for Advanced Transit and Highways (PATH) program, and Caltrans to provide input and advice on mobility options that will help the campus accommodate the expected growth while minimizing negative transportation impacts. The integrated nature of the LRDP also provides an opportunity to look at transportation options from a broader perspective than is usually possible under traditional planning scenarious. Thus creating an opportunity to evaluate a variety of innovative advanced information and mobility packages that could be implemented on a pilot scale in the coming years. These advanced technologies include dynamic ridesharing, carsharing, neighborhood electric vehicles, linkages between housing and access to shared-use automobiles, integration between modes, information kiosks, and other mobility packages that might prove effective at reducing the demand for single occupancy vehicles associated with campus.

CarLink II was a commuter-based carsharing pilot project administered by the Institute of Transportation Studies at the University of California, Davis (ITS-Davis) in conjunction with Caltrans, American Honda Motor Company, and Caltrain. Partners for Advanced Transit and Highways (PATH) researchers conducted the evaluation. Pilot objectives included testing an advanced carsharing system, understanding user response to this service, and testing its longterm sustainability. From July 1, 2001 to June 30, 2002, the CarLink II program was deployed in the field and continued the investigation of commuter-based carsharing originally explored in the 1998 CarLink longitudinal survey and the 1999 CarLink I field test. Lessons learned during the CarLink I field test helped guide the project team’s design of the CarLink II project, resulting in several differences and improvements. The table below summarizes the major differences between CarLink I and II.

In recent years, shared-use vehicle systems have garnered a great deal of interest and activity internationally as an innovative mobility solution. In general, shared-use vehicle systems consist of a fleet of vehicles that are used by several different individuals throughout the day. Shared-use vehicles off the convenience of the private automobile and more flexibility than public transportation alone. These systems are attractive since they offer the potential to lower a user’s transportation costs; reduce the need for parking spaces in a community; improve overall air quality; and facilitate access to and encourage use of other transportation modes such as rail transit. Shared-use vehicle systems take many forms, ranging from neighborhood carsharing to classic station car models. Given the recent proliferation in system approaches, it is useful to establish a classification system or framework for characterizing these programs. The classification system presented here outlines key program elements that can help policy makers and practitioners characterize and evaluate various aspects of this rapidly evolving field. Further, it helps researchers analyze and compare the various models, including their similarities, differences, and benefits. A shared-use vehicle classification system is provided that describes existing and evolving models; examples are provided of each. It is argued that carsharing and station car concepts can be viewed as two ends of a continuum, sharing many similarities, rather than separate concepts. Indeed, many existing shared-use vehicle systems can be viewed as hybrid systems, exhibiting key characteristics of both concepts.