Consumer adoption of the functional economy in the mobility sector: Focus on car-sharing in Brussels

Details

Supervisors

Mossay, Emmanuel

Faculty

Louvain School of Management

Degree label

Master [120] : ingénieur de gestion, à finalité spécialisée

Abstract

Mobility is one of the major challenges in urban areas. Whether in terms of environmental impact, with its contribution to climate change or poor air quality, or in terms of traffic flow with congestion or parking problems. In any case, it seems necessary to change the current mobility model which is still very much centred around the individual car, a model which is particularly inefficient in terms of resource use. The functional economy could be an answer to these problems by proposing a model no longer based on possession but rather on use. However, such a change in mobility requires consumers to radically change their behaviour and adopt a new mobility model. It is therefore essential to understand whether the consumer would be willing to move from private car-based mobility to a more functional and diversified mobility and how to motivate them to do so. It is in this context that we studied the case of Brussels consumers to understand: How can carsharing become a driver for consumer adoption of the functional economy in the mobility sector by the Brussels population? Through in-depth one-to-one discussions with individuals with different types of profiles, wewere able to gain insights into consumers' perceptions of mobility and their expectations and needs. Our research question was answered in two steps. First, by explaining the role that carsharing can play in the substitution of the private car by a more functional mobility. Secondly, by understanding and discussing the main decision factors, barriers and motivations to the different means of transport, including the car-sharing, after which we were then able to make some recommendations for improving its adoption. The conclusion of this work is that car-sharing can act as a driver for the adoption of the functional economy in the mobility sector, by substituting the personal car or at least by decreasing the number of personal cars per household, being used only when expressly needed for some limited situations. However, to do that, car-sharing has to be fully attractive, which is not yet the reality, since too many barriers, psychological and practical, and too few motivations are perceived by the consumers. The need for an efficient ecosystem in the mobility sector is, therefore, necessary to be able to reduce the barriers and foster adoption.