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The effect of tailored information for the uptake of carsharing, evidence from a field experiment in Oslo

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Listed:
  • Ciccone, Alice
  • Wangsness, Paal Brevik

Abstract

Reducing reliance on private cars is essential for achieving a sustainable urban transport system, with carsharing offering a potentially valuable complement to public transport, walking, and biking. This study evaluates whether personalized information provision can promote carsharing adoption through a large-scale, pre-registered field experiment in Oslo, Norway. Car owners with older, underutilized vehicles were randomly assigned to a control and treatment group based on their residence postcode. About 20,000 car owners in the treatment postcodes received emails and were exposed to an online calculator that compared the costs of owning a car versus using a carsharing service for their travel needs, while the control group received no intervention. The results show a 15% increase in carsharing uptake in treated compared to the control areas, equivalent to approximately 400 new sign-ups over six months. By leveraging objective administrative data, this study provides causal evidence of the impact of tailored information on carsharing adoption.

Suggested Citation

  • Ciccone, Alice & Wangsness, Paal Brevik, 2025. "The effect of tailored information for the uptake of carsharing, evidence from a field experiment in Oslo," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 130(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jeeman:v:130:y:2025:i:c:s0095069625000051
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jeem.2025.103121
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Zhou, Fan & Zheng, Zuduo & Whitehead, Jake & Perrons, Robert K. & Washington, Simon & Page, Lionel, 2020. "Examining the impact of car-sharing on private vehicle ownership," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 138(C), pages 322-341.
    2. Shaheen, Susan A. & Cohen, Adam P, 2008. "Worldwide Carsharing Growth: An International Comparison," Institute of Transportation Studies, Working Paper Series qt1139r2m5, Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Davis.
    3. Gössling, Stefan & Kees, Jessica & Litman, Todd, 2022. "The lifetime cost of driving a car," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 194(C).
    4. Ingar Haaland & Christopher Roth & Johannes Wohlfart, 2023. "Designing Information Provision Experiments," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 61(1), pages 3-40, March.
    5. Shaheen, Susan A & Cohen, Adam P, 2007. "Growth in Worldwide Carsharing: An International Comparison," Institute of Transportation Studies, Research Reports, Working Papers, Proceedings qt2zv240pp, Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Berkeley.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • Q58 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Environmental Economics: Government Policy
    • Q53 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Air Pollution; Water Pollution; Noise; Hazardous Waste; Solid Waste; Recycling
    • D12 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Consumer Economics: Empirical Analysis
    • C93 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Field Experiments
    • R41 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Transportation Economics - - - Transportation: Demand, Supply, and Congestion; Travel Time; Safety and Accidents; Transportation Noise
    • D83 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Search; Learning; Information and Knowledge; Communication; Belief; Unawareness

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