The representative Forsa survey on current mobility and environmental challenges in the city commissioned on behalf of smart finds: A majority of Germans wishes for an expansion of local public transport as well as more car sharing – and preferably via app.
Today, already 25 million people live in large German cities. Trend: upward. However, in light of the lack of parking and living space, air pollution and overloaded local public transport, there is the ever more pressing question: How will urban mobility work in future? Against the background of these conflicting priorities, in close cooperation with the market research institute Forsa, smart is asking the following question regarding mobility and the environment: which measures are suitable for solving these challenges in the future?
The majority of the respondents wishes for an eco-friendly form of transportation, which focuses on the 'us', as well as a strong sense of neighborhood based on mutual respect and the willingness to share.
One in four Germans in favor of expanding the car sharing offers
The respondents see solutions above all in the expansion and pricing policy of local public transport. One in three (36%) believes that electric mobility should be better promoted. At the same time, one in four (27%) considers the expansion of car sharing offers to be particularly suitable. Driving bans in city centers currently being discussed reject 83 percent categorically.
Sharing has to be simple and practical
Especially in the area of private car sharing, there is still room for growth. After all, a private car is used for a mere 45 minutes per day on average, as shown in a mobility study carried out by the Federal Ministry of Transport in 2017. To ensure the car is not left standing around idly for much of the time, sharing has to be simple and practical. The respondents see many advantages in organizing car sharing via app. With the "ready to share“ service, smart already offers a solution for safe and uncomplicated sharing.
Private car sharing and electric mobility long ceased being mere visions of the future. With "ready to share" we are making the sharing of privately owned cars really easy. From 2020, incidentally, the smart will only be available with electric drive, to make our cities quieter and cleaner.
A privately owned car is certainly one of the key everyday helpers. The willingness to share one's own vehicle is highest among couples: 68 percent of cohabiting motorists already use their vehicle jointly. However, the willingness to share the car declines with decreasing familiarity. 41 percent of car owners envisage sharing their own four wheels with relatives, 36 percent with neighbors. Where strangers are concerned, this is out of the question for 92 percent of the respondents.
But at what point would the willingness to share one's own car be greater? 75 percent of motorists are more willing to share their car in an acute emergency and more than half if the renter promises to treat the vehicle with care (62%). One in four (26%) anticipates that the willingness to share would be greater, if the handover would be simple and practical, that is to say, without either party losing too much time.
Simple sharing of the private vehicle with smart "ready to share"
The "ready to share" service from smart is private car sharing without handing over the key, without stress and always with full control. The smart service enables car owners who want to share their vehicles to establish a private car sharing network quickly and easily, and thus also to share the pleasure of driving and costs as well as their own smart.
Invited users from the circle of family and friends can submit booking requests for the smart and after approval from the owner via smartphone can locate and unlock the car.
All questions and answers of the study in detail
On the method of the study
The study was carried out between 22 and 28 November 2018 with the aid of forsa.omninet, a survey panel representative of the population. This is an online panel recruited via a multi-stage random procedure. 63 percent of the survey participants live in big and small cities. 37 percent of them live in smaller towns, communities and villages with fewer than 20,000 inhabitants.
