shared mobility

Shared mobility refers to the shared usage of a vehicle (cars, bicycles, taxis, buses) that enable users to gain short term access to transportation modes on an "as needed" basis. It can also include alternative transit services, such as paratransit, shuttles, and private transit services, called microtransit, which can supplement fixed-route bus and rail services.

Although the term shared mobility can refer to traditional buses and taxis, the sharing economy focuses largely on the more 'on-demand' transport - these companies are usually largely successful due to their technological appeals that makes it convenient for the increasingly tech savvy population.

Car-sharing e-hail applications such as Uber, Lyft and Grab are increasingly popular today among millennials as the process of booking a ride is almost seamless - it saves us the trouble of physically going to main roads to hail a cab, or waiting a long time for a bus to arrive. Why would we want to go through that much trouble when all can be done with a touch of a button?

To the economy, such car-sharing companies increase economic growth. It creates new jobs for people, as well provides incentives for current car owners to fully utilise their vehicles. Also, according the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), the introduction of car-sharing has actually reduced the percentage of people who have expressed interest in owning a car. When asked about changes to their finances due to shared modes, 20 percent of people reported they had postponed buying a car, 18 percent had decided not to purchase one and 21 percent of people have since sold their cars because of the convenience of these shared modes. In the long run, these car-sharing companies have the potential to reduce private ownership of cars, relieving roads of major traffic congestions and high levels of carbon dioxide emissions.

Countries such as the United States, Canada, New Zealand and Australia have introduced high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes to encourage carpooling during peak hours. These lanes have priority whereby other lanes must wait in line to enter highways, but cars in HOV lanes can enter first, cars in these lanes also need not pay tolls.

However, car-sharing companies also do have their limitations to society. An increase in job opportunities for Uber, Grab and Lyft would suggest that employees in traditional taxi companies are at risk of being retrenched if the demand for traditional taxi companies are not met.

In addition, the increased convenience of such on-demand car-sharing economies may even result in people switching from taking public transport to taking Uber and Grab. This would mean that roads in turn get more congested, and there is higher fuel inefficiency. Furthermore, since such car-sharing companies such a relatively cheap price, customers would form the habit of taking the car over short distances instead of walking. An increase in the number of people taking cars over a short distance would suggest an inefficient road usage. Also, such habits can have long term effects on the health of society - the lack of exercise due to taking the car over short distances can have negative implications on the nation's overall health and lifestyle.

References:
http://innovativemobility.org/?project=shared-mobility-definitions-industry-developments-and-early-understanding
https://www.itdp.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Harnessing-Shared-Mobility-1.pdf
http://www.apta.com/resources/reportsandpublications/Documents/APTA-Shared-Mobility.pdf
http://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/110614/taxi-industry-pros-cons-uber-and-other-ehail-apps.asp
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-occupancy_vehicle_lane#History
http://www.vtpi.org/tdm/tdm19.htm
http://www.triplepundit.com/2016/04/will-uber-make-transportation-sustainable/