The Potential for Daimler’s Car2Go in Austin and at the University of Texas

Carsharing, a service that allows individuals the use of a private vehicle without the burden of ownership, is expanding rapidly around the world. In the United States, for-profit and non-profit organizations are emerging and expanding at high rates. Daimler Auto Group is entering this market with its Car2Go, a carsharing organization with a fleet composed entirely of Smart Fortwo vehicles, beginning with a pilot program in Austin, Texas. This paper compared the Austin market with successful carshare markets in order to determine the likelihood of success for Car2Go. Using new surveys and analysis of previous literature, this research has found that the highly-educated and high-income populations found residing in downtown Austin and working or studying at the University of Texas are likely to be strong markets for future carsharing services.