Germany's Car-Sharing Boom: Over 5.5 Million Users in 1,200+ Cities
Car-sharing in Germany has witnessed remarkable growth, now serving over 5.5 million users across the country. This mobility revolution spans over 1,200 cities and towns, with a significant presence in major urban areas.
Free-floating car-sharing, available in 50 major cities, offers users the flexibility to pick up and drop off cars anywhere within a designated area. Meanwhile, station-based car-sharing, present in over 1,200 locations, caters to smaller cities and towns, with most having fewer than 50,000 inhabitants.
Multimodal mobility stations, facilitating seamless transitions between train, bus, bicycle, and car-sharing, are becoming commonplace. These stations encourage users to switch between different modes of transport, reducing the need for private cars.
Each station-based car-sharing vehicle can replace four to over ten private cars, depending on local conditions. This shift significantly reduces the environmental impact and saves resources. Moreover, car-sharing companies can obtain the 'Blue Angel' environmental label for their vehicles, further promoting sustainability.
The university city of Weingarten stands out as a model for participative urban planning, including mobility strategies. Here, mobile hotspots or digital participation points enable residents to engage directly with car-sharing solutions.
Car-sharing, as the fourth pillar of Germany's environmental alliance, plays a crucial role in reducing traffic emissions and promoting sustainable mobility. With over 43,000 cars now available, the number of registered users has grown twelvefold since 2011. Cities can further support this growth by providing public parking spaces, setting up multimodal mobility stations, and integrating car-sharing into their traffic development plans and municipal mobility management.
