Assessing the Viability of Car-Sharing for Low-Income Communities

Hyun, Kate; Cronley, Courtney; Naz, Farah; Robinson, Sarah; Harwerth, Joseph · 2019 · ROSA P / Center for Transportation, Equity, Decisions and Dollars (CTEDD) (UTC)

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Summary

This study investigates the viability of car-sharing services for low-income and Environmental Justice (EJ) populations, addressing a gap in research regarding who adopts these technologies and whether they serve transit-disadvantaged communities. While car-sharing offers benefits such as reduced vehicle ownership, lower emissions, and complemented public transit usage, existing literature suggests that adoption is skewed toward higher-income, urban demographics. The authors aim to determine if car-sharing is an accessible, affordable, and viable mobility option for individuals with limited resources, who often face spatial disconnects between residence and employment. The research employs a mixed-methods approach combining quantitative spatial and statistical analysis with qualitative community engagement. Quantitatively, the study analyzes Zipcar locations in five major U.S. metropolitan areas using ArcGIS to correlate service availability with Census Tract income and demographic data from the 2016 American Community Survey. Additionally, the authors utilize the 2017 National Household Travel Survey (NHTS) to model car-sharing usage. Due to excessive zero counts and over-dispersion in the data, a Zero-Inflated Negative Binomial (ZINB) regression model was applied to examine the effects of socioeconomic characteristics, travel behavior, and financial status on usage frequency. Qualitatively, the study conducted seven online focus groups with 28 participants, including social workers and civil engineers in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, to assess provider perceptions of car-sharing accessibility, affordability, and technological barriers for EJ populations. The quantitative findings reveal that individuals experiencing financial burdens are more likely to utilize car-sharing alongside rideshare services. The spatial analysis highlights disparities in service distribution relative to income levels. The qualitative results indicate that service providers are significantly less familiar with car-sharing programs compared to rideshare alternatives. Participants identified several barriers to adoption among low-income communities, including affordability concerns, technological hurdles (such as smartphone and app access), lack of familiarity with the service, and misconceptions regarding convenience. These factors contribute to low awareness and willingness to use car-sharing among the target demographic. The study concludes that while car-sharing has the potential to benefit low-income populations by providing mobility without the costs of vehicle ownership, current implementation patterns and user perceptions create significant barriers. The findings suggest that car-sharing is not yet equitably accessible or utilized by EJ populations due to financial, technological, and informational constraints. The authors imply that policymakers and operators must address these barriers through targeted incentives, improved accessibility, and educational outreach to ensure car-sharing serves as an equitable transportation solution for transit-disadvantaged communities.

Key finding

Individuals experiencing financial burden tend to use car-sharing services as a mobility option alongside rideshare services, while service providers identify affordability and technological barriers as primary obstacles to adoption among low-income communities.

Methodology

mixed_methods

Sample size: 28

Provenance

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Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-10; verification: verified.

Topics

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• demographic disparities