John, you haven’t owned a car for ten years. How did that come about?
It happened when I moved from Bern to Zurich. Before that my girlfriend worked for Mobility, which was how I got to find out about car sharing. I was impressed right from the word go, so that helped me let go.
Had you always had a car of your own up to then?
Yes. I took my driving test early on and always had my own car – the last one I had was a company car. When the move to Zurich was finalised I realised that I wouldn’t be able to take it with me. So I weighed up the situation and quickly arrived at a decision. That was ten years ago. Since then, the question of buying another car has never arisen.
You never questioned the idea of owning a car when you had one yourself?
Before the move it never entered my mind.
How long did the process take in total, i.e. from the first time the idea occurred to you until you made the decision?
I was fairly impulsive. There wasn’t much to think about – the change was imminent and that was the deciding factor. It was only afterwards that I began to realise how much money I’d spent on the car before. Looking back, I probably should have given it up earlier.
Is it easier to let go at a certain age?
Yes I think so, because you need to engage in a certain amount of critical self-reflection. I would probably have found it harder 15 years ago.
What do you think is the nicest/most practical/greatest thing about having a car of your own?
It’s a mixture of an emotional connection and purely practical considerations. I was a car nut. I had an American car, although I did eventually sell that. Owning a car is great. You can get in and drive off without having to book, adjust your seat or put up with funny smells (laughs). But at some point I changed my way of thinking. Today, my relationship with the automobile is rational: it’s something that’s there when I need it.
Can you imagine ever having a car of your own again?
I don’t need a car. Firstly, there are a lot of Mobility stations in Zurich, and secondly, there’s no necessity for me to own a car. Thanks to Mobility, I have access to different vehicles according to what I need: if I’m covering a lengthier distance, I take a larger car, if I’m moving something bulky, I take a van, and if I want to try out a Tesla, I rent a Tesla. I have everything I need. When I go on holiday to Grisons I use Mobility, when I go abroad I hire a rental car, and when I visit my relatives in the Bern area, I combine different means of transport: I take the train to Bern and then switch to Mobility at the railway station. It works perfectly.