The Everyday Travel of Voluntarily Carless People. Exploring Shared Mobility Services as an Accessibility Strategy

Abstract

Rapid climate change, fueled by escalating greenhouse gas emissions, presents an urgent global challenge. The transport sector is a significant contributor, responsible for nearly a quarter of all carbon dioxide emissions. Reducing dependence on vehicles and promoting shared mobility services is important to mitigate this impact. Learning from individuals who have successfully transitioned to carless living holds invaluable insights for navigating this transition efficiently. Therefore, this thesis aimed to gain a deeper understanding of the everyday mobility of voluntarily carless people living in urban areas distributing shared mobility services and how these services might act as an accessibility strategy for the carless. The theoretical approach was based on time geography and above all the concepts of activities, projects, and constraints. Qualitative interviews were conducted and analyzed through a thematic analysis. The results demonstrated the freedom and flexibility of living carless, several accessibility strategies used by the carless, and the role and complexity of shared mobility services. While shared mobility services were used as an accessibility strategy, did it not fulfill the needs and wishes of the carless. Improvements to these services could, for example, include offering more cargo bikes and a variety of car sizes for carpooling. Further research could investigate a larger sample size within different geographic and demographic areas. It would also be interesting to study the effectiveness of policy interventions and strategies in promoting sustainable mobility.