Carsharing for tourists

time, often by the hour. Cars are rented by an organization, such as a commercial business, a public agency or a cooperative. Historically, carsharing has started in Zurich, Switzerland, in 1948 by a community of people who thought that a car should not be a private but a “common” good to be shared with others and owned by the community, both for moral and economic reasons. Nowadays, even in Switzerland, this “radical” spirit is much weaker and carsharing is a commercial enterprise, run by private or public organizations (the former are more common in North America, the latter in Europe, as one would expect) with the help of sophisticated technological booking and charging systems. In the UK the term “carsharing” is often known as “car clubs”, whereas the term “carsharing” is also used for carpooling or ride-sharing. However, strictly speaking, the terms “carpooling” or “ride-sharing” refers to the shared use of a private car for a specific journey, in particular for commuting to work, by people who travel together to save on fuel costs. The term “car club” in the U.S. refers instead to a club of car hobbyists. Since, the term carsharing is internationally gradually gaining currency, it will be used throughout the paper. It is also worth underlining that carsharing is different from traditional car rental service. The difference lies in its historical background and motivations and as well as in its organization. As for the motivations, carsharing is often motivated by social and environmental aims, as it will be discussed below, such as reducing car traffic, improving the modal split, reducing parking space needs, improving environmental quality while preserving flexibility and accessibility.