Psychosocial aspects of the use and provision of carsharing services in the Czech Republic

Abstract

The concept of shared mobility involves a type of transportation based on advanced digital technologies which make it possible to approach mobility as a service. This concept seeks to reduce the need for individual ownership of means of transport and enhance the effectiveness of their use. The aim of this paper is – to identify the reasons for the use of carsharing services among Czech users and to reveal the perceived barriers and benefits from the perspective of both providers and users of carsharing services. In line with the objectives of the paper, qualitative research was chosen. The study is expected to describe the psychosocial aspects of the use of carsharing, and report experience with the provision of such services in the Czech Republic. Based on an interpretative phenomenological analysis, we found several reasons, benefits and barriers to the use and provision of B2C carsharing among 11 users and 4 providers. The contributions of this paper include the fact that it focuses on the experiences of both parties - carsharing providers and carsharing users, and it is the first study of this type that has been conducted in the Czech Republic. This deliverable was co-financed by the grant projects IGA_FF_2021_001 and IGA_FF_2021_018 (UPOL).