From shared to residential mobility services? Carsharing and bike-sharing development under the influence of flexible parking requirements

Abstract

As a way of decreasing car ownership and use, one of the significant causes of road passenger transport-related emissions, a growing number of municipalities in Sweden and globally promote car- and bike-sharing by implementing Flexible Parking Requirements. Evaluations of how these requirements affect mobility patterns among residents are emerging. Still, research on the implications for the carsharing and bike-sharing business models and overall service development is lacking. This paper aims to address this by investigating how the development of car- and bike-sharing services is affected by Flexible Parking Requirements. We study four cases based on mobility service providers and specific properties in Sweden through the lens of business model literature and actor-network theory. The results uncover specific narratives, assemblages and challenges related to each case. The carsharing services highlighted the difference in success between open-access and exclusive residential mobility services. Bike-sharing services were characterized by diverse weaknesses and threats that must be addressed for functioning services. The results indicate Flexible Parking Requirements being an important actant of change in defining the services offerings and shaping assemblages. A plethora of actants is identified in the assemblage around car- and bike-sharing services. The paper helps to identify the missing pieces in aligning all of them to have persistence and lasting services. In the concluding discussion, the new roles of the apartment blocks and residential mobility services are discussed within the transport system.