Policy Changes Needed to Support Car-Sharing in Sweden
Call for regulatory changes to enhance car-sharing services in Sweden after Volvo's exit.
Key Points
- • Volvo on demand has withdrawn from all Swedish cities, impacting car-sharing services.
- • Key barriers identified are parking regulations and pricing structures.
- • Proposals include reserving parking for car-sharing vehicles and adjusting fees to match those of resident cars.
- • Each car-sharing vehicle could replace up to ten personal vehicles, benefiting urban environments.
Recent developments highlight the urgent need for improved municipal regulations to bolster car-sharing services in Sweden, particularly following the exit of Volvo on demand from all cities. Linus Lakso from the Green Party and Gothenburg's Karin Pleijel stress the necessity of a supportive political framework to enhance shared mobility, which could significantly reduce reliance on privately owned vehicles.
Two key barriers to effective car-sharing have been identified: the lack of municipal authority to reserve parking exclusively for car-sharing vehicles and the imbalance in parking costs, where car-sharing services often pay higher fees compared to resident vehicles. Currently, private cars occupy parking spaces approximately 97% of the time, which leads to inefficient use of urban space. Lakso and Pleijel propose that designating certain parking spots strictly for car-sharing could alleviate space congestion while also promoting environmental sustainability.
The authors argue that by allowing for such changes, one car-sharing vehicle has the potential to replace up to ten privately owned cars, a move that would not only enhance urban mobility but also help reduce traffic emissions and improve overall livability in cities. They urge government action on their proposals to unlock the full potential of car-sharing in Swedish urban environments.