The Integration of Driverless Vehicles in Commercial Carsharing Schemes in Germany: A Prefeasibility Study

With an increasing world population and a steadily rising share of people living in urban areas, traffic density is on the rise, and has become a major issue of urban agglomerations all over the world. These trends are accompanied by the process of the motorization of the individual - with negative effects on both, the society and the individual. While millions of people get injured and die in traffic accidents each year, congestion causes mental stress and economic inefficiencies. Different solutions seek to tackle the problem like strengthening of public transport or encouraging residents to walk or make use of bicycles. However, they have yet failed to combine, for example, individual mobility needs and infrastructural conditions. In order to contribute to the debate of possible solutions, this study investigates the combination of two emerging concepts, carsharing and driverless vehicles. Germany was chosen as the basis of this study for its strong position in the car industry.