Drivers and barriers to business-to-business carsharing for work trips – A case study of Gothenburg, Sweden

Carsharing is an important element in the transition to a more sustainable transport system.

In contrast to the widely studied business-to-consumer (B2C) market segment, studies on Business-to-business (B2B) carsharing and its impacts are limited.

This paper analyses the factors that drive and hinder organisations from using B2B carsharing for their employees’ work trips.

The paper takes a case study approach, analysing B2B carsharing use for local work-trips at seven employers in Gothenburg, Sweden, based on interviews with employers, property owners, and carsharing operators.

Our results indicate that carsharing services can contribute to reducing the employers’ costs for work-trips, ensuring the sustainability and safety of the employee’s work-trips, as well as increasing the employer’s workplace attractivity.

However, carsharing services are currently used only to a very limited extent. Obstacles that limit a greater use of carsharing services are employers’ lack of data on the employees’ work travel patterns, little economic incentives for employers, as well as parking management and travel policies that favour the use of the private car.