One-way car sharing on the road to success

Mobility subsidiary Catch a Car draws a successful conclusion from its pilot project in Basel: More than 5,000 customers are now using its station-independent car-sharing service, which reduces traffic according to the latest ETH research results. The city of Basel is continuing the collaboration, and negotiations are underway with other cities.

Satisfied customers
The two-year pilot phase has shown that station-independent car sharing also works in Swiss cities. Catch a Car has been able to successfully establish its service in Basel and is recording a steadily increasing number of registrations and trips. Today, over 5,000 customers are on the road with 120 cars.

Manager Silena Medici is highly satisfied: "The system works very well and is very well received. That's why we're continuing it and want to expand. We are already in talks with other cities." Government Councilor Hans-Peter Wessels is equally pleased: "Catch a Car has become a natural part of urban mobility in Basel and is appreciated by residents." Since the car-sharing service has proven to have a car- and traffic-reducing effect, "we are very happy to continue the cooperation."

ETH study: fewer cars and less CO2 thanks to Catch a Car

Catch a Car was accompanied for two years by ETH Zurich, which evaluated the effects on traffic and the environment. All of these effects were positive: Since car sharers change their mobility behavior in the long term, Catch a Car - calculated on the current number of users - prevents 363 cars on Basel's roads. In addition, according to a qualified ETH estimate, average private vehicle use is reduced by 560,000 kilometers annually. This corresponds to 2,240 trips from Basel to Geneva or a saving of 45,000 liters of fuel per year or 104 tons of CO2.

In turn, Catch a Car users travel more frequently by public transport than private car owners, "proving that our car-sharing concept does not compete with public transport, but complements it in a meaningful way," Medici concludes.

Allianz and AMAG participate with share capital

All previous business partners will remain with Catch a Car in the future. While the cooperation with EnergieSchweiz and SBB will continue as usual on a strategic level, Allianz and AMAG will even join the Lucerne-based company as investors from summer 2016. "As an innovative insurer, we want to play an active role in shaping future mobility solutions," affirms Thomas Wegmann, Head of Market Management at Allianz Suisse. Bernhard Soltermann (Managing Director AMAG Import) adds: "Catch a Car offers us, as the largest Swiss car service provider, an excellent opportunity to expand our commitment and presence on the topic of mobility at national and regional level."

(Catch-A-Car)