A study on travelers’ behavior towards carsharing system: a case study of Dalian, China

Carsharing has appeared as a novel alternative to the private car in urban areas and larger cities. The application and popularization of the concept have resulted in the effective control of the growth of car ownership; reducing traffic congestion, and alleviating environmental pollution. This paper seeks to find the factors affecting travelers’ acceptance towards carsharing and the potential market segments to be targeted for a successful implementation of the carsharing concept in China. A Stated Preference survey was carried out in Dalian, China. The Mixed Binary Logit Model was built to model travelers’ acceptance of different round-trip carsharing schemes. The results showed that several socio-demographic factors affect travelers’ decision-making process. Gender, age, education level, income status, housing status, and carsharing’s knowledge had a significant impact on travelers’ propensity to adopt the carsharing system. Findings from this study can be useful to transport planners and policymakers for the implementation of carsharing systems in urban areas.