[sustran] Re: Is carsharing irrelevant for the Global South?

[Roger Gorham]

Eric,

OK, I'll bite.  I think that the question really depends on what you mean by
car-"sharing" and what prevailing wage rates are (which itself ultimately
depends on whether you are talking about middle, low, or very-low income
countries).

If by car-sharing you mean having relatively hassle-free access to
automobility without the need to own and maintain a car by people with means
to otherwise do so, then most cities in the global "south" already have
car-sharing.  They are called taxis.  The main function of car-sharing is to
variabilize a formerly fixed or sunk cost.  In many low- and very low-income
countries with very low wage rates, it is hard to envision a circumstance in
which the variabilized costs of access to a fleet of self-drive vehicles
could be made to be lower than the already-variabilized costs of access to
taxis.

Perhaps there would be certain niche markets in which some wealthier middle
and upper-middle class people in low-income countries might prefer to take a
well-maintained self-drive fleet vehicle than use a (often poorly
maintained) taxi, but this niche would barely make a dent on overall urban
mobility, and even there, I cannot envision a circumstance where you could
convince these people in large numbers to choose car-sharing over owning
their own vehicle.

Car-sharing becomes more viable the higher your average wage rates, so I
think your suggestion for transportation planners and policy makers to
follow development elsewhere would only make sense (perhaps) for middle
income countries.

Roger Gorham


On Wed, Mar 24, 2010 at 4:34 AM, Eric Britton <eric.britton at ecoplan.org>wrote:

> Is carsharing irrelevant for the Global South?
>
> Should be transportation planners and policymakers working in cities the
> developing world be taking the time to follow developments in other places
> so that they are fully informed about planning and policy matters as
> necessary for ensuring successful carsharing in their cities and countries.
>
> We think they should. We (I guess that means me, but not really since I
> know
> I am not alone in this)  firmly believe that carsharing is a practical
> transportation alternative that is relevant for  just about every place in
> the world where there are people who need to have access to cars (and vans
> and trucks). It is not only a proven low carbon way to have access to and
> use cars, but it makes economic sense for most people, and (when it works
> properly) is a lot more convenient to boot.
>
> So please keep up on carshare developments world wide and bear it in mind
> that carsharing is "the last nail in the coffin of old mobility".
>
> Eric Britton
>
> For the World Carshare Consortium at  <http://www.worldcarshare.com>
> www.worldcarshare.com
>
>
>
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