Following several years of ad hoc meetings, independent carsharing organizations in North America launched a formal organization to promote their interests - the Carsharing Association. Presently, they are a variety of non-profit, for profit companies, most in the US and Canada.
Independent carshare bascially means - not Zipcar, Connect or U Carshare. Along the way, they have added an international flavor with carshares in Australia (GoGet) and Brazil (Zazcar). Car2Go and none of the start up peer-to-peer carsharing companies in California are members, although at least two of them have met with the group.
The Car Sharing Association has a well-developed "Code of Ethics" which builds on the earlier Code the group developed several years ago. The code describes standards of customer service, operations, environmental standards, etc. One goal of the group is that government agencies wanting to define carsharing eligible for partnership services, such as on-street parking, will use membership in the Association as their criteria.
An important test of the group will be watching how the organization deals with competition situations. Previously, there was no discussion about competition in earlier versions of the Code, and there seemed to be an unwritten expectation that since the companies were all community-based they would not move into each others' territory. Now, the Code has specific language about how competitors should treat each other.
At this early stage no carshares in Europe are members of the Carsharing Association presumably not finding any great need to belong to another organization when there are organizations that have more immediate benefit close at hand - CarPlus in the UK, the Bundesverband Carsharing Deutschland, Autopartage France and the Italian gruppo.
Formalizing the Car Sharing Association is a useful next step for independent carshares to take and the code of ethics a good way to insure that the benefits of carsharing to individuals, cities and the environment are not lost in the rush to make a profit along the way. Hopefully, the group will come to see the value of an organization with "the big guys" in it, as well, since there is much needed in the regulatory area of every country in order to level the playing field of car ownership and carsharing. Good luck.
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ReplyDeleteThanks very much for your attention to the recent launch of the CarSharing Association in your blog. On behalf of our 18 founding members, I would like to offer some clarification.
ReplyDeleteCarsharing was created to solve a social problem – the negative impacts of over-reliance on the automobile. Socially responsible, transit-oriented carsharing organizations (CSOs) significantly reduce congestion and greenhouse gas emissions, and cut the cost of mobility for members.
Carsharing membership has grown tremendously over the past 15 years, and the industry has recently attracted significant commercial attention. While the opportunity for growth and social benefit remain tremendous, there also exists the potential for the ‘brand’ of carsharing to be eroded through ‘greenwashing’ or co-opting by similar looking services.
The CarSharing Association (CSA) provides a means for socially-responsible, transit-oriented CSOs to self-regulate the positive and ethical growth of our industry, ensuring that there continues to be social, environmental and economic benefits to the communities in which we operate. CSA members are signatories of the CarSharing Industry Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice.
Membership in the CSA is not restricted to ‘independent’ carsharing organizations, nor was it formed as a competitive response to any entity or business. It is, however, dedicated to ensuring an increased level of transparency, public education, research and awareness of transit-oriented mobility options. While some businesses that offer hourly rental car services may provide a useful transportation service, they are not necessarily dedicated to the principles and standards in which the CSA is based.
The Code of Ethics has, since it was first issued, reflected the positive aspects of competition in our industry. Recognizing from the beginning that some organizations might compete with each other, the Code has always stated that competition is appreciated, pushing the whole industry to be innovative and member oriented. The Code does require members to compete in a truthful, factual and non-disparaging manner, refraining from using misleading and inaccurate marketing and research.
A bit of History to the CSA: An association for carsharing in North America has been discussed for many years by an ad hoc group of transit-oriented carsharing organizations, who have held numerous conferences since 2003 to strengthen the capacity of our industry, and our individual CSO’s. In 2007, Communauto (Montreal), the oldest CSO in North America, initiated an industry-wide effort to develop the Carsharing Code of Ethics. At that time, every known CSO in Canada and the USA was invited to join, including Zipcar. A dozen CSOs did agree to participate in the effort, initially meeting in Montreal, and refining the Code over the next three years. (Zipcar did not respond to requests to participate.)
The CarSharing Association is an inclusive industry group, designed to support the growth of socially responsible carsharing organizations. The inaugural group of carsharing organizations in the CSA represents those who have worked to define, develop and form the Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice.
Our Membership Committee has received enormous interest from other organizations around the world, including important organizations in Europe, and will be putting in place a membership process later this year. Certainly, any candidate for membership must become a signatory to the Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice, and agree to adhere to its principles.
Many of us have been working on the ‘dream’ of carsharing for ten years, fifteen years, or even longer. We are all very excited to be a part of carsharing as it experiences its ‘Sputnik moment’ into the mainstream, and simply want to make sure that the social and environmental benefits that launched this great idea continue to be delivered.
Kevin McLaughlin
Executive Committee member, CSA
President, AutoShare
Kevin - thanks so much for this "official" response and clarification on some of the issues I mentioned in the original post. I'm very glad to hear about expanded mission and membership opportunities.
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