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2013 Seattle Free-Floating Car Share Pilot Program Report
Prepared by the Seattle Department of Transportation
March 2014
Summary
In December 2012, the Seattle City Council unanimously adopted legislation (Council Bill 117661;
Ordinance 124063) to authorize a free-floating car share pilot program in which car share vehicles may
park within a defined geographic area in the right-of-way rather than in an assigned space. The ordinance
required that the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) prepare a report on the pilot program
after one year of operation. This report serves that function.
The pilot program began operations in early 2013. Car2go, a subsidiary of Daimler AG, applied for and
received 500 permits to use curb space throughout the city. Each permit is priced at $1,330, which
includes $1,030 towards the cost of parking in paid areas, $200 towards the cost of parking in Restricted
Parking Zones (RPZs), and a $100 administrative fee. In 2013, the operator’s use of metered on-street
parking exceeded the estimated amount paid for in their initial permit, and the operator was responsible
for paying an additional $183,365 in fees to the City. Consistent with the ordinance, these were paid in
full at the end of February 2014.
Throughout the first year of operations, the number of daily free-floating car share rentals has increased,
with a current daily average of approximately 5 rentals per vehicle each day. Community responses to
free floating car share have been generally positive, and car2go reports almost 35,000 members in the
region. Several community and business organizations have expressed concerns about cars lingering in
on-street parking spaces, making it difficult for customers to access store-front retail. While these
concerns have come from a number of neighborhoods, there is a concentration from the South Lake
Union area, where the operator’s use of metered spaces is highest. Data provided by the operator
indicate that 20% of car2go’s total parking time in paid areas was in South Lake Union. It is important to
note that car2go vehicles occupy less than 1% of the total paid parking 1 in the area.
Car2go has conducted several member surveys, which indicate that 39% of members have given up a car
or are considering giving up a car; that 35% of members are traveling fewer miles in personal vehicles;
and that 39% are using their personal cars less often since joining car2go. Conversely 47% of members
indicate that they now ride transit less frequently, and 63% of members report that they have not
changed the number of miles they travel in a personal vehicle, even with car2go use. At this point it is
unclear how free-floating car share is affecting broader transportation choices throughout the city.
Because free-floating car share is one element of a larger multimodal transportation system, the ways in
which people utilize each of these modes change as new options become available. In order to ensure
that free-floating car share policies continue to promote citywide goals related to livability, connectivity,
equity, and the environment, the City should consider developing an ongoing plan for evaluation and
policy adaptation.
The existing legislation allows SDOT to issue 500 free-floating car share permits annually. Car2go and
several other car share operators have expressed interest in expanding that number. Should the number
of free-floating car share permits change, it may be beneficial to tie that expansion to the provision of a
city-wide service area. Other issues may also warrant consideration as demand for services and permit
expansion requests are made.
1
Available paid parking time was calculated by taking the total number of paid spaces per area and multiplying that by the total annual hours of
paid parking in an area. For SLU Main this calculation was: (1,792 paid spaces)*(10 hours per day)*(313 days per year (excludes Sundays)).
2013 Seattle Free-Floating Car Share Pilot Program Report
Prepared by the Seattle Department of Transportation
March 2014
Background
In 2012, the Seattle City Council adopted Ordinance 124063 to authorize a free-floating car share pilot
program in the city of Seattle. The ordinance required that the Seattle Department of Transportation
(SDOT) prepare a report on the pilot program after one year of operation. This report serves that
function and includes information on:
Free-floating car share’s use of curb space in paid areas and restricted parking zones (RPZs)
Community responses to free-floating car share
Free-floating car share’s effect on auto
ownership and transportation choices
Free-floating car share pilot program policy
considerations
The 2012 pilot program legislation authorized 350 freefloating car share permits, priced at an annual cost of
$1,330. The fee includes $1,030 towards the estimated
cost of parking in paid areas, $200 towards the cost of
parking in Restricted Parking Zones (RPZs), and a $100
administrative fee. In March, 2013, the Seattle City
Council approved an additional 150 free-floating car
share permits, establishing a new cap of 500 total
permits.
Car2go, a subsidiary of Daimler AG, applied for and
received 330 permits at the beginning of 2013. They
applied for an additional 100 permits in April 2013 and
another 70 in August 2013. In April 2013, they extended
their initial service area to include a larger portion of
South Seattle and West Seattle (Map 1). As of the date
of this report, car2go holds all 500 free-floating car
share permits and is the sole operator of this service in
Seattle.
As a condition of the permit, the operator is required to
report regularly on curb space use and to prepare a
report to SDOT summarizing findings from their annual
membership survey. This report includes that data, as
well as additional information on community feedback
received by SDOT on free-floating car share in Seattle.
Free-Floating Car Share and Curb Space
Seattle’s free-floating car share model relies on the use of public right-of-way curb space so that
members can check out any nearby car and then leave it in an on-street parking space within the
designated service area when the trip is complete. The information below details how the operator has
used Seattle’s curb space, and is divided into two parts: paid parking areas and general use and restricted
parking zones (RPZs).
2
2013 Seattle Free-Floating Car Share Pilot Program Report
Prepared by the Seattle Department of Transportation
March 2014
Paid Parking Areas
In 2013 car2go reported a total of 258,902 hours in which vehicles were parked in paid areas. The
average duration of stay in metered areas ranged from over two hours in January 2013 to just
over one hour in June 2013. The table below details the hours parked in each area, with the top 5
Table 1: 2013 car2go Fleet Paid Parking Use
Paid Parking Area
12th Avenue
Ballard Core
Ballard Locks
Total Minutes
Parked
Percentage
of Total
Time
Total Hours
Parked
Hourly
Rate
Total Costs for
Paid Parking by
Area
Percentage of
Paid Parking
Occupied by
car2go Vehicles 2
78,788
0.50%
1,313.13
$1.50
$1,969.70
0.55%
33,490
0.20%
558.17
$2.00
$1,116.33
0.27%
10,048
0.10%
167.47
$1.50
$251.20
0.07%
106,330
0.70%
1,772.17
$1.50
$2,658.25
0.24%
Belltown North
1,049,722
6.70%
17,495.37
$2.00
$34,990.73
0.39%
Belltown South
Ballard Periphery
1,060,939
6.80%
17,682.32
$2.50
$44,205.79
0.58%
Capitol Hill North
277,498
1.80%
4,624.97
$3.00
$13,874.90
1.12%
Capitol Hill South
248,317
1.60%
4,138.62
$2.50
$10,346.54
0.56%
31,062
0.20%
517.7
$1.50
$776.55
0.30%
716,134
4.60%
11,935.57
$2.50
$29,838.92
0.85%
Cherry Hill
Chinatown/ID
Commercial Core Financial
720,597
4.60%
12,009.95
$4.00
$48,039.80
0.85%
1,179,803
7.60%
19,663.38
$4.00
$78,653.53
1.28%
Commercial Core Waterfront
731,186
4.70%
12,186.43
$4.00
$48,745.73
1.03%
Denny Triangle North
813,483
5.20%
13,558.05
$2.00
$27,116.10
0.71%
Denny Triangle South
544,144
3.50%
9,069.07
$2.50
$22,672.67
1.46%
First Hill
197,658
1.30%
3,294.30
$4.00
$13,177.20
0.09%
Fremont
149,169
1.00%
2,486.15
$1.50
$3,729.23
0.87%
Commercial Core Retail
Lake Union Park
525
0.00%
8.75
$1.00
$8.75
NA
Pike-Pine
848,921
5.40%
14,148.68
$2.00
$28,297.37
0.62%
Pioneer Square Core
564,492
3.60%
9,408.20
$3.50
$32,928.70
1.44%
Pioneer Square Periphery
1,158,269
7.40%
19,304.48
$3.00
$57,913.45
1.58%
South Lake Union Main
3,246,289
20.80%
54,104.82
$1.50
$81,157.23
0.96%
South Lake Union Northwest
99,250
0.60%
1,654.17
$1.00
$1,654.17
0.30%
University District Core
854,308
5.50%
14,238.47
$2.00
$28,476.93
0.90%
University District Periphery 1
349,956
2.20%
5,832.60
$1.50
$8,748.90
0.36%
University District Periphery 2
24,875
0.20%
414.58
$1.50
$621.88
Included in UD P1 3
Uptown Triangle
131,854
0.80%
2,197.57
$1.00
$2,197.57
0.31%
Uptown Core
131,754
0.80%
2,195.90
$1.50
$3,293.85
0.47%
Uptown Periphery
175,271
1.10%
2,921.18
$1.00
$2,921.18
0.18%
15,581,288
100%
258,902.20
$630,383.10
0.69%
Grand Total
2
Available paid parking time was calculated by taking the total number of paid spaces per area and multiplying that by the total annual hours of
paid parking in an area. For SLU Main, this calculation was: (1,792 paid spaces)*(10 hours per day of paid parking)* (313 days per year (excludes
Sundays)). Car2go’s paid parking time use in the area was then calculated as a percentage of this total.
3
Car2go reported the paid parking area of the University District Periphery as two separate zones. SDOT considers this one zone and so the total
percentage of paid parking time use for both areas is included in the University District Periphery 1 calculation.
3
2013 Seattle Free-Floating Car Share Pilot Program Report
Prepared by the Seattle Department of Transportation
March 2014
areas bolded. Note that many Seattle neighborhoods have several parking rates and that these
are divided into the smaller subareas indicated in the table. The South Lake Union Main area
accounted for 20.8% of the total time car2go vehicles were parked in paid parking locations
(Table1).
In 2013, car2go purchased a total of 500 free-floating car share permits from the City at 3
different times. While the total cost of each permit was $1,330, as referenced earlier, only $1,030
was applied to the cost of paid, on-street parking. The chart below illustrates the portion of the
permit fees applied to the cost of paid, on-street parking, after they were prorated for purchase
dates after January 1 (Table 2).
Table 2: 2013 car2go Permit Costs
Date of Permit
1/1/2013
4/1/2013
8/27/2013
Total
Quantity
330
100
70
500
Paid Parking Cost
per Annual Permit
$1,030
$1,030
$1,030
Total Annual
Cost
$339,900
$103,000
$72,100
Prorated Annual
Permit Cost
$339,900
$77,247
$29,871
$447,018
Per the 2012 free-floating car share legislation, if the operator’s total actual use in paid parking
areas exceeds the total cost of the permit fees for parking in paid parking areas in that year, the
operator must reimburse the City of Seattle no later than February 28 of the following year. After
factoring for area differences in parking rates, the final cost of the operator’s use of paid, onstreet parking was $630,383. Because the operator had already paid $447,018 towards parking in
paid parking areas as a part of the 2013 permit fee, the total remaining due to the City of Seattle
was $183,365 (Table 3). In February 2014, the operator paid that amount in full.
Table 3: 2013 car2go Paid Parking True-Up Calculation
Total Costs for Paid Parking
Zones
$630,383
Total Prorated, Paid Parking
Permit Costs (already paid)
$447,018
Difference Due to the City of
Seattle by February 28, 2014
$183,365
General Use & Restricted Parking Zones
Based on the operator’s online vehicle location information, general car2go vehicle distribution
seems to indicate that the vehicles are largely concentrated in the downtown core during
business days and remain in the surrounding neighborhoods during the evenings. Information
provided by the operator indicates that the neighborhoods with the most number of rentals
include:
Downtown
Capitol Hill
Belltown
South Lake Union
Lower Queen Anne
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2013 Seattle Free-Floating Car Share Pilot Program Report
Prepared by the Seattle Department of Transportation
March 2014
As of early 2014, there are almost 35,000 car2go members in the Seattle area. As membership
has increased, so has the average number of daily rentals per vehicle, increasing from less than 1
to over 5 rentals per vehicle each day (Figure 1).
Figure 1: 2013 Average Daily Rentals Per car2go Vehicle
6.0
5.0
4.0
3.0
2.0
1.0
0.0
For Seattle’s Restricted Parking Zones (RPZs), car2go provided additional information on parking
utilization. The RPZs with the highest number of car2go vehicles parked were Capitol Hill,
Eastlake, and First Hill. These are also the 3 zones with the largest number of RPZ permits issued.
Figure 2: 2013 car2go RPZ Hours by Area
60,000
50,000
40,000
30,000
20,000
0
RPZ 1: Montlake
RPZ 4: Capitol Hill
RPZ 5: Wallingford
RPZ 6: University Park
RPZ 7: First Hill
RPZ 8: Eastlake
RPZ 9: Magnolia
RPZ 10: University District West
RPZ 11: North Queen Anne
RPZ 12: North Capitol Hill
RPZ 13: Lower Queen Anne
RPZ 14: Central District
RPZ 15: Belmont/ Harvard
RPZ 16: Mount Baker
RPZ 17: North Beacon Hill
RPZ 19: Roosevelt
RPZ 20: Ravenna/ Bryant
RPZ 21: Pike/ Pine
RPZ 22: Wallingford/ Lincoln HS
RPZ 23: Madison Valley
RPZ 24: Cascade
RPZ 25: Westlake East
RPZ 26: Upper Queen Anne
RPZ 27: Freemont
RPZ 28: Beacon Hill
RPZ 29: Columbia City
RPZ A: Montlake/ Husky Game Days
RPZ B: Ravenna/ Laurelhurst Husky…
10,000
5
2013 Seattle Free-Floating Car Share Pilot Program Report
Prepared by the Seattle Department of Transportation
March 2014
The total number of hours car2go vehicles were parked in these 3 RPZs ranged between 20,000
and 55,000 over the course of 2013 (Figure 2). This represents less than 1% of the total available
parking time in each zone 4.
It is important to note that car2go vehicles are also permitted to park in time-limited and
unrestricted on-street parking locations. At this time, we do not have data on the operator’s use
of on-street parking in these areas.
Free-Floating Car Share and Community Feedback
Direct community feedback to SDOT on free-floating car share has been fairly limited, but there are
several trends worth noting in the review of the first year of the pilot program. First, anecdotally, the
service has been well received by community members. Car2go vehicle use has increased throughout the
year, and the operator’s annual survey indicates that 96% of members would recommend the service to
others.
Most of the concerns heard from the community related
to free-floating car share vehicles parked for long periods
of time in commercial or residential zones. These concerns
were related to areas of West Seattle (including near the
Fauntleroy Ferry Terminal), Pioneer Square, Ballard,
Capitol Hill, SODO, Magnolia, and South Lake Union. To
date, the operator has handled these concerns by either
moving vehicles, leasing off-street parking, or altering the
service area slightly. The operator has also shared parking
education materials with members to ensure that vehicles
are returned to appropriate on-street locations. Broadly,
the number of parking concerns received by SDOT has
declined from the initial months of operation. Though
some South Lake Union community members have
continued to ask about the concentration of car2go
vehicles parked in the neighborhood.
The Seattle Police Department’s Parking Enforcement Unit
reported that car2go vehicles received approximately
1,268 parking citations in 2013, significantly less than 1%
of the total number of citations (539,812) issued that year.
Based on current membership numbers, that is
approximately one citation per every 28 members.
As of early 2014, car2go reported almost 35,000 members
in the Seattle area. The map to the right illustrates
member zip codes, with areas with more members in
darker shades (Map 2). The 6 zip codes with more than
2,000 members are:
4
Because the data received from car2go was for all hours in the day, rather than the hours the RPZ is in effect, this percentage was calculated by
dividing the number of hours parked by car2go in RPZs by the total hours of available parking (the number of spaces multiplied by the total hours
in a year). For Capitol Hill this calculation was: (1,868 spaces)*(24 hours per day)*(365 days per year) or (1,868 spaces)*(8766 hours per year).
6
2013 Seattle Free-Floating Car Share Pilot Program Report
Prepared by the Seattle Department of Transportation
March 2014
98122 (Capitol Hill/Central District/Madrona)
98103 (Freemont/Wallingford/Green Lake/Greenwood)
98102 (Eastlake/North Capitol Hill)
98105 (University District/Laurelhurst)
98115 (Ravenna/Sand Point)
98109 (East Queen Anne/South Lake Union)
Free-Floating Car Share and Transportation System Implications
As a condition of the permit issued to car2go, the operator is required to conduct an annual survey of
their members and to provide the following information to SDOT:
The number of cars owned prior to membership
The number of cars owned at the time of the survey
If the planned purchase of a vehicle prior to membership was subsequently abandoned due
to membership with free-floating car share program
If approximate vehicle-miles traveled by the member increased, decreased, or remained the
same after membership
Whether walking, biking, and transit trips increased, decreased, or remained the same after
membership
Table 4: 2013 car2go Member
Private Vehicle Ownership Rates
Number of Cars
The annual survey was conducted in the summer of 2013.
There were over 5,000 responses, a response rate of
approximately 25% of car2go’s total Seattle area members
at that time. Car2go has conducted numerous follow-up
surveys throughout the year and provided the aggregate
data to support this report. Based on these aggregate data,
68% of responding member households had 1 car or fewer
(Table 4).
Percentage
0
1
2
3
4
26%
42%
24%
6%
3%
Table 5: 2013 car2go Member
Private Vehicle Ownership Attitudes
I am reconsidering the need for a private car
18%
I already sold my car
I am reconsidering the need for a second,
third ... car
3%
I sold my second, third, ... car
I did not reconsider car ownership since
using car2go
2%
Sixty-one percent of survey respondents indicated
that they had not considered giving up a car after
joining the service, while 39% indicated that they had
reconsidered or are reconsidering the need for a car,
with 5% indicating that they had already sold a car
(Table 5).
16%
61%
Members further reported that they were using free-floating car share for a variety of purposes. The
following were the most common trip types:
Getting around at night
7
2013 Seattle Free-Floating Car Share Pilot Program Report
Prepared by the Seattle Department of Transportation
March 2014
Going to restaurants/bars
Commuting to work
Going to see friends/family
Going to events
Table 6: 2013 car2go Member Use of Other Transportation
Options Since Joining
Private car
Public transport
Bike
Walk
More Often
1%
5%
3%
10%
Less Often
39%
47%
5%
14%
Table 7: 2013 car2go Member Daily
Miles Traveled in a Personal Vehicle
Increased
Declined
Remained the same
2%
35%
63%
Same
33%
40%
39%
73%
Do Not Use
26%
7%
53%
4%
Car2go members stated that they are using both their
private vehicle and public transit less often after joining
car2go (Table 6). Thirty-five percent of members
reported driving fewer miles in their private vehicle,
while 63% reported no change in the number of miles
traveled (Table 7).
Free-Floating Car Share Pilot Program Policy Considerations
Free-floating car share’s use of curb space appears to be a relatively minor consideration for most Seattle
neighborhoods because there are only 500 vehicles in operation. SDOT does see a need to better
understand how car2go vehicles are using curb space in neighborhoods like South Lake Union, where
several businesses and community members have expressed concern about the number of vehicles
parked there each day. To better inform this issue, SDOT will note the presence of car2go vehicles as part
of our citywide 2014 annual paid parking occupancy study.
SDOT is also reviewing the conditions of the permit issued to car2go to refine the reporting requirements
and surveying processes so that we are able to gather consistent longer-term information on member
trip-making behaviors. Even with the additional parking data and annual survey information, it is difficult
to determine the effects of free-floating car share on transportation behaviors and our transportation
system as a whole. While some of the data provided by car2go indicate positive effects from free-floating
car share, such as fewer miles traveled in private vehicles and lower car ownership rates, the decline in
public transit ridership among members is a less desirable trend and should be better understood.
Further, based on conversations with other cities and with researchers on shared transportation systems,
the first year of free-floating car share operations likely differs from future years, as membership grows.
Because free-floating car share is one element of a larger transportation network including transit, bike,
pedestrian, auto, taxis, bike share, transportation network companies, etc., the ways in which people
utilize each of these systems change as new options become available.
In 2014 there are several policy issues that warrant additional consideration including:
Further evaluation of free-floating car share’s effects on Seattle’s transportation system
Review of existing free-floating car share permit caps and the possibility of additional
operators in Seattle
The provision of citywide service areas by free-floating car share operators
8
2013 Seattle Free-Floating Car Share Pilot Program Report
Prepared by the Seattle Department of Transportation
March 2014
To ensure that Seattle continues to meet citywide goals related to livability, connectivity, equity, and the
environment, the City should consider developing a long-term plan for ongoing evaluation and policy
adaptation related to the increasing use and influence of shared transportation systems. Currently the
legislation allows SDOT to issue 500 permits annually, and to date, car2go has applied for and received all
of those permits in both 2013 and 2014. Car2go and several other car share operators have expressed
interest in expanding the number of free-floating permits. Should the current number of permits remain
at 500 for 2015, it is possible that multiple vendors might apply for those permits. If this should occur, it
would likely affect the existing operator’s ability to provide their current level of service to their
members. Thus, expanding the number of total permits should be evaluated as the City considers the
program’s next steps. Also, the current operator has set a home area that does not cover portions of
Seattle, including the southern portions of South and West Seattle, as well as the northern edge of the
city. Should Council decide to examine the existing pilot legislation for changes in the number of freefloating car share permits, it might be beneficial to consider tying an increased number of permits to the
provision of a citywide service area.
9