Research on Travel Behavior with Car Sharing under Smart City Conditions

Abstract

As a sustainable transportation system, car-sharing schemes have been attracting increasing attention. A large amount of research and practice has proved that the application and promotion of car sharing can help reduce the number of private cars purchased, increase the utilization rate of automobiles, effectively alleviate traffic congestion, save energy, and reduce emissions. Therefore, research on car sharing is imperative. The logit model is widely used in studies on car sharing and is an effective tool for analyzing traffic problems. This study first introduces the status of research into car sharing and analyzes the potential users and market prospects for shared cars. The study then provides the results from a questionnaire survey in Nanjing, China, to obtain sample data. Finally, a mixed logit model is established to analyze the influencing factors of car-sharing selection behavior. The results show that factors such as an individual's housing situation and income significantly affect car-sharing decisions and that respondents who choose to use shared cars are relatively similar to commuters. The main contribution of this study is to use empirical analysis to determine the key influencing factors of car-sharing behavior in China and to provide practical insights for commercial practitioners and traffic planners.