Carpooling is a long-established form of transportation in the working world, helping to save costs and reduce the environmental impact of unnecessary CO² emissions. Today, the basic principle of carpooling seems primarily associated with daily commute, but there is another facet in which carpooling can play an important role - in nightlife.

The emergence of the first carpools

The concept of carpooling is anything but new while its origin might surprise most of us. The advent of the first-ever recorded carpools can be dated back to World War II. Beginning in 1942, the US Office of Price Administration (OPA) temporarily rationalized the availability of gasoline and other manufactured goods to maximize available raw materials for military use. Aiming for the identical goal, the War Production Board (WPB) ordered the temporary suspension of all civilian automobile sales that same year [1]. During this period, U.S. citizens where told a clear political message: it was their patriotic duty to share rides to help the cause of war [2] - carpooling was thus born. All rationalizations and restrictions were not lifted until August 15, 1945, but the concept of carpooling survived and is still highly valued in our modern world of today.

From 1973 onwards, carpooling also became more widespread in Germany. The concept was largely domestically driven by the first oil crisis [3] and the enactment of car-free days [4]. Joining carpools was thus an attempt to counteract the skyrocketing prices of gasoline and other fuels. Such explosive increases in commodity prices were to be repeated during the second oil crisis (1976) and during the second Gulf War (1990) [5]. Again, people banded together to share the vehicle.

Carpools in the current time

Much has changed since the early days of carpooling and its introduction in Germany. Although we are currently subject to another inflation, carpooling is no longer characterized by rationing or bans. Nevertheless, carpools continue to offer advantages that can be adapted to the contemporary zeitgeist. That’s why carpools can represent a genuine alternative in passenger transportation.

When we think about carpooling, we regularly associate it with a means of transport in the world of work. It is often formed by commuters who regularly share one or more vehicles, although the individual incentive might vary. Some of which might originate from several motives: no ownership of a vehicle or a driver's license; sharing – therefore lowering- travel costs; comfort for individuals not being actively behind the wheel; savings on traffic and accompanying costs. In addition, environmentally conscious people often use carpools to reduce their individual CO2 emissions.

Focusing recent - and certainly urgent - discussions about environmental protection, specifically the latter point seems particularly promising. In fact, carpooling can help to reduce emissions, congestion, and noise levels produced by every-day individual passenger transportation. Hence, carpools can complement the public transportation.

Perception of public transport in the context of passenger transport

As of today, carpooling does not appear to complement public transport but rather compete with it. Discussions about its potential as a means of low-emission transport are rather restrained, although, a change in dedication is evident. Recent insights highlight that the inclusion of carpooling in further discussions and concepts of sustainable transportation seems unavoidable since the car continues to be favoured by many.

Generally speaking, people continue to use their cars because public transportation is not equally suitable for each individual or in every situation. This circumstance often applies to certain commuters in particular: people in rural areas, people who work shifts or teenagers and young adults who want to take part in nightlife. Although the much-needed development of public transport is in active discussion, its current state can be described as suboptimal for many people who rely on it. Repeatedly criticised are dilapidated railway networks, unreliable connections, as well as dirty and noisy busses or trains. Consequently, growing dissatisfaction with the public transport infrastructure is still present [6].

Though, intervening in the complex structure and, therefore, improving on the recent situation might be possible in a medium-term perspective [7]. In the short term, however, people seek for other alternatives to buses and trains: the car as a means of transport, second to none.

Dismantling of public transport as a consequence of staff shortages

The urgency and scope of the staff shortage quickly becomes evident: according to a study conducted by the Association of German Transport Companies (VDV), the passenger transport sector will face a shortage of approximately 100K skilled workers by 2030 [8]. Consequently, it can be assumed that public transport connections and frequencies will be cut. In turn, these decisions will most likely rely on traffic volume and infrastructural importance of individual connections. This in mind, it is foreseeable that journeys during night-time will primarily fall victim of being scrapped, as these are considered "luxury journeys" and have little economic benefit. This predicted cost-cutting-measures may lead to a further decline in the use of public transport, as more alternatives will have to be used. As already mentioned, these alternatives most likely centre around the car. In the best case scenario, car pools are formed.

Comparison of emissions between public transportation and carpooling

The following example is intended to show that the use of cars, if used sustainably, does not necessarily have to be more harmful to the environment than public transport. On a very pragmatic level, carpooling reduces the number of vehicles on the roads - and thus, of course, the total emissions released by cars. If done right, carpooling emissions can even undercut those of public transport.

Admittedly, many factors influence the per capita CO2 footprint of a car compared to the use of public transport. Hence, to obtain a comparable representative average, the following calculation example uses a middle-aged car (mfg. 2009 - 2014) with a consumption of 7.2 litres of petrol per 100 km. This, in turn, is compared with a local public transport system that includes buses, trams, light rail, subway trains, and local trains.

The car’s CO² emissions amount to 20kg per 100km, whereas public transport comes to 6.4kg per 100km. A carpool with only three participants already reduces the emissions per person to 6.7kg per 100km. With four or more people, emissions fall even further to around 5kg per 100km. A positive balance for carpooling does even hold true when using diesel fuel: traveling 100km with four participants result in a per capita emission of 5.4kg [9][10].

These numbers in mind, it quickly becomes evident that carpooling – even with just a few participants - can make a valuable contribution to reducing CO² emissions and can match or even surpass public transport in terms of savings.

Carpooling outside of working life

Although carpooling offers many advantages over single trips by car, this concept seems primarily associated with the world of work. Commuters and shift workers use carpools when the connection to the workplace is poor or non-existent. However, carpools are not necessarily limited to the world of work. It would make sense to extend their concept to other areas, as the problems of staff shortages within public transport continue to exist. This, in turn, could eliminate night journeys, affecting employees and non-employees alike.

Night-time transportation as an essential part of social interaction

Nightlife plays an important part in socialising that is characterized by events, parties, and other socially unifying cultural or sporting events. The loss of night-time public transport can be especially problematic when people rely on cars to get around but alcohol is consumed. Here, carpooling can contribute: it generally increases road safety as it reduces the temptation for DUI. In addition, sharing a cab or private car can save costs anyways.

To encourage carpooling in nightlife, special platforms and apps can help to call and to coordinate rides. These platforms allow users to offer themselves as drivers or search for carpooling opportunities. This allows partygoers and nighthawks to join forces in advance and ensure their safe trip home.

Youth taxis and financial support for nightlife carpooling

So-called “youth taxis” are commercial transportation services that focus on transporting teenagers and young adults at night. These services often work closely with municipalities, businesses, or other sponsors to provide young people with a safe way home at night.

These youth taxis are explicitly aimed at the demographic group of the 18-24-year-olds, who, according to the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), " [...] still have, by far, the highest risk of road traffic accidents". In 2019, a total of 59,747 young men and women were involved in road traffic accidents in Germany - 363 of which were fatal. These numbers tell that 15.5% of all road traffic injuries and 11.9% of all road traffic fatalities involved young people between the ages of 18 to 24. The fact that this age group only accounts for 7.6% of Germany’s total population [11] is even more alarming.

In addition to the safety-related aspects, youth taxis can offer financial incentives and thus can promote the formation of carpools. For example, a sponsor or a non-profit association can provide a subsidy that reduces the cost of a shared ride by vouchers or discounted fares.

Potential chances of youth taxis

Youth taxis potentially create a win-win situation for everyone involved: young people get home safely and cost-effective, while the road traffic and CO² emissions are reduced. Support from sponsors or non-profit organizations can help increase the acceptance and popularity of carpooling in nightlife even further. Ultimately, youth taxis can create new incentives for the passenger transport sector. Companies that take part in a youth taxi project are notably more attractive to young people and young adults due to the potential savings they offer. This in turn can increase the company’s revenues and drivers’ remunerations. Better payment can also lead to attract more staff and can help to counteract the recent staff shortage.

Successful youth taxis

Some successful youth taxis are already in active use in various districts. One of these well received platforms is the Night-Mover 2.0 developed by AppPlusMobile Systemhaus. In the district of Kleve alone, more than 50,000 weekend journeys with a typical driving distance of 77 kilometres are taken with the Night-Mover 2.0 yearly. Here, per capita CO² emissions are calculated at around 3.1 kg per journey [12], which is significantly more environmentally friendly than private individual journeys (15.4 kg CO² per journey) and even public transport (4.9 kg CO² per journey) with the same distance.

TL;DR

The emergence of the first carpools goes back to WWII and is today primarily associated with the world of work. Then as now, they offer advantages for commuters and can help to minimize CO² emissions caused by cars. Per capita emissions of carpools may even undercut those produced by the public transport.

Public transport doesn’t shine in bright light anyways as it suffers from acute staff shortage and unreliability. This holds especially true for rural areas, non-profitable connections, and during nighttime [13]. Hence, people tend to prefer the car as a means of transport. This circumstance should highlight the importance of promoting carpooling.

The concept of carpooling can be applied to nightlife to ensure cost-effective safety, reliability, and reduction of CO² emissions in individual passenger transportation. By introducing a youth taxi with financial support, teenagers and young adults can be encouraged to form carpools whilst they benefit from these shared journeys. It is important that such initiatives are implemented in close cooperation with relevant stakeholders such as authorities, event organisers, and sponsors in order to create a sustainable and effective solution for nightlife transportation.

Today, some active youth taxis, such as the Night-Mover 2.0 in the district of Kleve, demonstrate the success of this concept.

[1] Rationierung in den USA (wikibrief.org)

[2] Ebd.

[3] 1973: Ölkrise bremst Deutschland aus – DW – 17.10.2013

[4] Volkmar Reinke (1985), Fahrgemeinschaften im Berufsverkehr: Möglichkeiten und Grenzen der Förderung, in: Institut für Raumplanung (Hrsg.), Dortmunder Beiträge zur Raumplanung, Bamberg: Schadel

[5] Ölkrise 1973: Autobahnen ohne Autos - Energiemarkt - derStandard.at › Wirtschaft

[6] Studie zum ÖPNV: Mehrheit der Deutschen unzufrieden - ZDFheute

[7] Modernisierung & Ausbau des ÖPNV | VDV - Die Verkehrsunternehmen

[8] https://www.vdv.de/vdv-personalumfrage-im-oev.aspx

[9] Which form of transport has the smallest carbon footprint? - Our World in Data

[10] CO2-Rechner für Auto, Flugzeug und Co. - quarks.de

[11] https://www.destatis.de/DE/Themen/Gesellschaft-Umwelt/Verkehrsunfaelle/Publikationen/Downloads-Verkehrsunfaelle/unfaelle-18-bis-24-jaehrigen-5462406197004.pdf?__blob=publicationFile

[12] Die Werte wurden anhand anonymisierter Daten, bereitgestellt durch AppPlusMobile Systemhaus GmbH, ermittelt.

[13] CO2-Fußabdrücke im Alltagsverkehr: Datenauswertung auf Basis der Studie Mobilität in Deutschland (umweltbundesamt.de)

18.08.2023