Carpooling potential and barriers: Results and lessons learned from piloting in Espoo

A carpooling application by Blox Car was piloted in the City of Espoo from Sept 2018 to Jan 2019. This paper presents pilot and survey results for the pilot and experiences of the process. The results find major events and regularly scheduled trips to be the most potential use cases. The biggest barriers for participation include lack of supply (drivers) and demand (riders) as well as the need to commit to pre-determined schedules or those of others. Main challenges for success related to exclusion of financial transactions (i.e. lack of compensation for drivers) and trouble in attracting users. Along with the indicative results of carpooling barriers and potential, a major value of the paper is in the lessons learned. The paper proposes relevant considerations and practical recommendations for piloting and deploying new mobility services based on the experiences, challenges and shortcomings of the pilot.