Peer-to-Peer Carsharing: Short-Term Effects on Travel Behavior in Portland, OR
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Summary
This study investigates the short-term effects of peer-to-peer (P2P) carsharing on travel behavior, vehicle ownership, and attitudes in Portland, Oregon. Motivated by the emergence of P2P models like Getaround, which connect private vehicle owners with renters, the research aims to determine if this model reduces overall and peak-period vehicle miles traveled (VMT) by making driving costs more apparent, and if it increases access to jobs and activities for non-car owners. The study distinguishes P2P from conventional business-to-consumer carsharing by noting that members provide both supply and demand, potentially influencing the driving habits of both owners and renters. The methodology involved a multiyear study of Getaround members beginning in early 2012. Researchers recruited 332 vehicle owners and 458 renters. Owners completed baseline surveys, had GPS devices installed for a six-week baseline monitoring period, and then entered a "live" rental phase lasting up to 16 months. Renters completed initial surveys and subsequent surveys regarding their rental activity. Data sources included GPS tracking of vehicle usage, rental transaction records, self-reported survey data on travel behavior and attitudes, and in-depth interviews with 36 owners. The study analyzed changes in driving patterns, peak-period freeway use, and car ownership decisions relative to baseline metrics. Findings indicate that overall owner driving behavior changed little. GPS data showed an average increase of only eight minutes of daily vehicle use one year after baseline, largely attributed to rental activity rather than owner driving. A significant portion of owners (27%) never rented their vehicles, and another 28% rented them fewer than five times, limiting behavioral shifts. However, 37% of owners decreased peak-period weekday driving by 10% or more, with higher rental activity correlating with greater reductions in peak-period driving. Peak-period freeway impacts were marginal; only 2.3% of owner trips occurred during peak periods on freeways. Renters slightly increased the share of peak-period freeway trips by one percentage point. Regarding ownership, 28–32% of owners reported increased use of walking, bicycling, or public transit, often citing P2P as a catalyst for pre-existing desires to drive less. Owners valued the income and environmental benefits but expressed concerns about vehicle damage and inconvenience. The study concludes that while P2P carsharing has the potential to influence VMT, its impact in this context was limited by low rental frequency among owners. The model appears most effective for individuals already motivated to reduce car dependency, serving as a tool to facilitate mode shifts rather than a primary driver of behavioral change. The findings suggest that P2P carsharing can support reduced car ownership and increased multimodal travel for a subset of users, but widespread VMT reduction requires higher participation rates and rental activity. The research highlights the importance of owner engagement and the dual role of participants in shaping the environmental and behavioral outcomes of sharing economy platforms.
Key finding
Overall vehicle owners made very few changes to their driving behavior, with average daily use increasing by approximately eight minutes due to rental activity rather than decreasing.
Methodology
naturalistic
Sample size: 790
Provenance
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| Stage | Outcome | Tool | Model | Prompt | Attempts | Completed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| discover | success | rosap | — | — | 2 | 2026-05-23 |
| archive | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-05-23 |
| extract | success | cached | — | — | 2 | 2026-06-10 |
| clean | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-01 |
| chunk | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-01 |
| embed | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-02 |
| enrich | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-05-23 |
| promote | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-05-23 |
| summarize | success | llm | qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant | summ-v5 | 3 | 2026-06-10 |
| tag | success | vector_similarity | — | — | 24 | 2026-06-11 |
| verify | success | — | — | — | 2 | 2026-06-10 |
Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-10; verification: verified.
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- Empirical Findings: observational prevalence