(L-R) Arnd Bätzner, VR Mobility Genossenschaft; François Bausch, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Mobility and Public Works; Credit: MMTP

On Tuesday 15 March 2022, Luxembourg's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Mobility and Public Works, François Bausch, presented the main three reasons why a quality carsharing offer could be particularly interesting for municipalities and employers in Luxembourg.

Carsharing is a service that allows individuals to reserve, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, a vehicle (car, van, etc.) for a short period and then release it for the next customer. Carsharing is different than the car pooling (or “carpooling”), which refers to the simultaneous use, by several people, of a private vehicle. While the primary effect of carpooling is to reduce the number of vehicles in motion, especially during rush hour, the primary effect of carsharing is to reduce the number of parked cars, especially in residential areas.

So that all players interested in "carsharing" in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg (municipalities, employers, mobility service providers, property developers, architects, town planners, etc.) can benefit from the best international practices, the Minister of Mobility and Public Works commissioned a team of international experts to analyse the current supply and potential demand in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and to formulate concrete recommendations.

The team presented its findings during a workshop on 14 March 2022 and on Tuesday 15 March 2022, Minister Bausch presented the main findings during a press conference.

The three main reasons presented by Minister Bausch during the press conference were:

Firstly, a household or a company whose car – or one of the cars – is used very little, can make substantial savings by replacing this private vehicle with the use of a carsharing service.

Secondly, replacing several private cars (up to twelve, depending on the context) by a single shared “public” car can reduce the need for parking spaces in the neighbourhood or in the company. This frees up public or private land for other uses.

Finally, if a municipality accepted that a major real estate project create fewer parking spaces (generally underground and expensive to build) on the condition that the project be equipped with a "carsharing" station, the price of housing could be reduced by the same amount, of course without any negative impact on the mobility options of future residents.

The team of experts, led by Arnd Bätzner of Mobility Carsharing (Switzerland), has drawn up differentiated recommendations for municipalities with an urban or rural character, or even for individual employers or employers grouped together in the same area of activity. Emphasis was placed on the importance of a particularly easy and intuitive service for the customer. This results in a preference, either for a single service provider in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg or for perfect interoperability between several service providers. Similarly, there is a need for a legal framework allowing a municipality to reserve a parking space in the public space to a private carsharing service provider, selected following a public tender. Minister Bausch announced that his teams are already preparing the legislative texts to this effect.

Minister Bausch concluded: "Here is a tool that can both reduce household spending on mobility, contribute to the creation of more affordable housing and free up public space for uses that serve the quality of life in the neighbourhoods.”