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

[Lloyd Wright]

Yes, the cost comparisons are interesting, but what are the environmental
benefits?

Auto-rickshaws and metered taxis spend much of their operating time with
dead kilometers, i.e. kilometers spent looking for passengers rather than
serving a useful trip.

Chauffeured trips typically double the distance travelled.

The corporate shuttles are okay (Google runs a pretty good service in the
Bay area), but are these not really a sign that the public sector has failed
to deliver a decent public transport?  And by developing a closed elite
service does this undermine the eventual creation of quality public
transport by taking away passengers? Or alternatively, does it create a
two-dimensional world of good corporate services and lousy public services?
I would prefer to see the corporate firms pushing local government to
develop a high-quality public system and contributing funds to that end
(which is what Ayala Land wants to do in Manila).

I think that car-sharing is an interesting concept that deserves continued
study, but it seems like it should be a second priority compared to good
quality public transport, NMT facilities, TDM measures, and smart growth
land use.  Car-sharing might just be a mechanism towards a slightly more
benign form of private motorization.  

Maybe in places like the US where cars are already 90%+ mode share,
car-sharing is the best one can hope.  But does it make sense to push
car-sharing in cities where over half the existing trips are public
transport or NMT? Should not the first priority be improving the sustainable
modes so that they do not collapse altogether?  

Best regards,

Lloyd

-----Original Message-----
From: Lee Schipper [mailto:lschipper at wri.org] 
Sent: Saturday, March 27, 2010 11:13
To: Sarath Guttikunda; Lloyd Wright
Cc: Sustran-discuss at list.jca.apc.org
Subject: RE: [sustran] Re: Is carsharing irrelevant for the Global South?

I think the key issues are a bit different
1. What is the cost of getting a driver's license and insurance? Does
car sharing include insurance? IS it worth investing in the license ONLY
to use a car occasionally?
2. Or is car sharing just a kind of adaptation to car ownership, a
first, somewhat less expensive step.

The points made below about the cost of hiring a car/drive are well
taken. 
Hidden in Cornie's point is a key reason that promotes car ownership --
free or almost free parking at work.  But in a society where having a
driver or taking a taxi is expensive, car ownership and a round trip to
work may still be cheap compared to other means, particularly of the
cost of ownership is now written off over 12 000 km/year.


So I'm worried that car sharing is an inexpensive way towards becoming a
car owner. 

Lee

-----Original Message-----
From: sustran-discuss-bounces+schipper=wri.org at list.jca.apc.org
[mailto:sustran-discuss-bounces+schipper=wri.org at list.jca.apc.org] On
Behalf Of Sarath Guttikunda
Sent: Friday, March 26, 2010 8:06 PM
To: Lloyd Wright
Cc: Sustran-discuss at list.jca.apc.org
Subject: [sustran] Re: Is carsharing irrelevant for the Global South?

Dear Lloyd,

yes, this does not apply for people who use driver for pick-up and
drop-off.
It does double the vehicle kilometers traveled.

Speaking of Delhi and some friends around here, In general, there is a
tendency to promote telecommuting when possible and most of the big
institutions have mini-bus services to pick-up and drop-off staff, which
is a good practice, and needs promotion from the corporate side.

With regards,
Sarath

--
Sarath Guttikunda
New Delhi, India
Phone: +91 9891 315 946
@ http://www.urbanemissions.info
@ http://www.dri.edu/People/Sarath.Guttikunda/