Insights Interview on Free-Floating Car Sharing in Emilia-Romagna

The European car sharing market is complex, featuring a diverse range of business models implemented on the streets. Operators employ various strategies, such as station-based services, peer-to-peer car sharing, and free-floating services, to address distinct use cases and offer distinct services. In addition, the European car sharing market is one of the largest and the most complex in the world. To address and explain some of these complexities, INVERS published their INVERS Mobility Barometer on “European Car Sharing 2024”. This 70-page report helps car sharing operators quickly understand key market dynamics, insights, and trends.

Table of Contents

• Operating a fully electric fleet
• Synergies between car sharing and public transport
• Experience with minor vehicle damages
• How to accelerate Italian car sharing

What is your experience with operating a 100% electric fleet? What is the role of the ZTL (Limited Traffic Zone)?

The Corrente free-floating sharing project was designed to be electric from its birth because, as early as 2018, when we started thinking about this mobility initiative, we aimed to invest in the environment and eco-friendliness. Our experience in the sharing world began alongside the acquisition of practices and knowledge for managing an electric fleet. The Corrente service allows users to focus on the rental and driving experience without worrying about charging, cleaning, and sanitizing the car. Our staff takes care of these services.

From the outset, we established charging centers that have evolved over time and now enable quick charging, keeping cars available for users as much as possible.
During charging operations, our operators also clean and sanitize the vehicles. Once these activities are completed, vehicles are positioned considering user demand, prioritizing areas with higher car requests. Corrente also has a fleet of electric mopeds. In this case, batteries are replaced directly on the road by dedicated teams, based on instructions from the operations center. Access to ZTLs is essential for a sharing service, as is the ability to use preferential lanes (where possible). This is a valuable prerogative for enhancing the rental experience and improving user mobility by reducing rental times and costs while increasing ease of movement, particularly in city centers.

Corrente is managed by TPER. What are the synergies between car sharing and public transport?

TPER is the main public transport operator in Emilia Romagna. We have always believed that shared mobility is a natural complement to public transport. That’s why, from day one, there have been discounted rates for holders of TPL subscriptions.
Recently, thanks to a regional tender, holders of monthly or annual local public transport subscriptions not only benefit from a discounted rate but can also receive €10 of credit for each rental of a car or scooter, equivalent to about 40 minutes of free rental.
This has made sharing even more appealing. Many people use the bus to reach their sharing car or vice versa, or choose the scooter to get to a car or to the bus stop that will take them to work or home. This is a concrete example of intermodality that is working well in Bologna with increasing satisfaction.

What is your experience with minor damages to vehicles and how do you manage them?

With the latest fleet update, we have installed a device in vehicles that detects damages in real time, allowing us to clearly and transparently identify individual users. Even before this, we had activated a system, still present in our app, that allows each user to report any existing vehicle damage before starting the rental. This is useful not only for maintenance and restoring damages but also for pursuing claims against the person responsible for the damage.
Annually, there are thousands of minor damages, of which a high percentage is covered by penalties applied to users.

What could help car sharing grow faster in Italy?

Shared mobility significantly contributes to decongesting cities and provides a meaningful response to the structural parking shortages in our historic centers. For this reason, sharing operators can assist local areas. Clear rules are needed to support this challenge, and incentives for using sharing, similar to what happens in Emilia-Romagna, could play a crucial role.
In Bologna, Ferrara, and Imola, all public transport subscribers receive an automatic coupon of €10 for each rental, making sharing almost free for monthly and annual public transport subscribers. This has been possible, and continues to be, thanks to a decision by the Emilia-Romagna Region—who approved a TPER project— for all 2024, supported by resources from the National Transport Fund.
We hope this project will be funded in the coming years and become a best practice to be shared at the national level. Our experience is very positive and demonstrates a clear acceleration in intermodality and the modal shift from private cars to more sustainable transport.

Further insights into the European car sharing market

Thank you, Fabio, for sharing your expert insights.

For more information and interesting findings about European car sharing, we encourage readers to check out our 70-page INVERS Mobility Barometer on “European Car Sharing 2024” with more expert interviews as well as insights from national car sharing associations. To discover more from Corrente, please visit their website.