Without Mobility, we would need many more car parks
Without Mobility's shared cars, an additional 1'800 cars would be on the road in the city of Berne. This is shown by an independent report that analysed the traffic-relieving effect of car sharing. The consultancy firm BSS Volkswirtschaftliche Beratung, in cooperation with the Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences OST, surveyed thousands of Mobility users.
The result is impressive: On average, one Mobility car replaces 18 cars in Switzerland. Study co-author Fabiana Kappeler says: “The results show that, according to their own assessment, the respondents would own significantly more cars without Mobility. Mobility’s car sharing offer means that parking space can be saved on a massive scale – space that is then available for other uses.”
« If we want to overcome the mobility challenges in Switzerland, we need a significantly higher proportion of car sharing in the mobility mix. »
Berne is behind the other major cities
In the city of Bern, the avoidance rate is slightly lower than the Swiss average: Here, each Mobility car replaces 15 private cars. Nevertheless, this still avoids 1,845 cars and parking spaces. This corresponds to an area of 23,000 square metres - or around 10 times the size of the Bundesplatz.
In Geneva and Zurich, the quota is 21 cars, in Basel even 23. At first glance, it is surprising that Bern's figure is lower. Part of the explanation could be the wide range of car sharing options, because nowhere is the density of locations as high as in the federal city. Mobility has been top of the class in Bern for some time now. Here, the average distance to the nearest Mobility location is just 246 metres.
"1:18 - or how Mobility takes the pressure off Swiss roads"
Study details
Mobility has had the impact of its own car sharing scheme in Switzerland quantified. The scientifically-based study was carried out by the Basel-based consulting firm BSS Volkswirtschaftliche Beratung in cooperation with the University of Applied Sciences of Eastern Switzerland. The evaluation standard of the German Car Sharing Association (bcs) served as the basis. In September 2024, around 5,700 Mobility members were asked about their vehicle ownership and mobility behaviour.
Key findings:
1 Mobility car replaced in Switzerland on average 18 private cars.
The effect differs locally. While it is even higherin cities (up to 23 ratein Basel), the effect is still atin rural areas in rural areas.
73% of respondents live in a household without a car.
The degree of motorisationin households with a Mobility subscription is 2 to 3 times smaller in the cities surveyed than in average households.
The Mobility offer plays an important role in the decision to to get rid of your own car (over 50% say "fairly big" to "very big")
Conclusion:Thanks to Mobility, there are around 40,000 fewer cars on the roads in Switzerland.
Traffic-calmed streets
How can this effect be illustrated? Using photos. To this end, roads were photographed in Switzerland’s largest cities. The cars that were lost in the city in question thanks to Mobility customers were then removed from these streets and replaced, for example, by green spaces.
Take Gutenbergstrasse in Bern, for example. On the left the original image, on the right with an integrated use of Mobility. 1 Mobility car makes 15 private cars superfluous, leaving more space for life.
Decide for yourself which street you prefer to live in:
Car sharing reduces private motorised transport
The report also looked at the level of motorisation of households: In the cities studied, the number of cars per 1,000 people in average households is on average at least twice as high as in households with a Mobility subscription. Fabiana Kappeler says: “Thanks to the car sharing scheme, many Mobility customers do without a private car completely. This has a direct impact on mobility behaviour: People who do not own a car are more likely to travel by public transport, bicycle or on foot. This also means a reduction in individual motorised transport.”
Strong argument for more shared mobility
“For me, the results of the study are a huge incentive for further expanding our offer,” says Mobility CEO Roland Lötscher. “If we want to overcome the mobility challenges in Switzerland, we need a significantly higher proportion of car sharing in the mobility mix.” To achieve this, Mobility intends to work even more closely with cities, cantons, companies and upper-level apartments in future. In Bern, for example, a pilot project is already underway with the city and EWB in which two Mobility locations are being electrified. Meanwhile, the neighbouring charging points are available to the public.
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