Determination of Potentials for Drivers and Passengers of Integrated Ridesharing Services in Rural Areas

In 2013, a service which combines ridesharing with public transportation was launched in three test regions in Northern Hesse (Germany) called “Mobilfalt”. Since the launch of the service, it was observable that many citizens are willing to use it as passengers while it was only possible to recruit a small number of drivers.
This paper describes the development of a potential model based on a household survey which was conducted in the test regions. Since the survey is representative, the extrapolated data can be used to draw conclusions about the population of the test regions. The model can be used to determine the quantity and characterization of potential drivers as well as passengers. The potential intensity was determined based on four categories: dependency on public transportation, awareness of ”Mobilfalt”, experience of riding with somebody and giving somebody a ride as well as attitudes and personality features. With the objective of gaining more private drivers, the results of this potential model are used to develop “Mobilfalt” further.