Expressions of values related to car sharing in Australia

Abstract

Car sharing, which is regarded as a sustainable transport system, has been evidently operating very well in urban areas where public transport is well established. In Sydney, Australia, car sharing is used by different people with different motivations to join. As a result, there is a range of values expressed by its members related to their experiences of being a car sharing member. The paper aims to explore perceived values about car sharing as a sustainable system. A qualitative study using surveys, interviews, visual diaries/workbook, collage making, and design workshops was carried out to portray the expressions of values and to highlight different aspects of car sharing design that strongly relate to those values. Car sharing has satisfied individualism and also the values of sharing. It gives personal independence yet interdependence as well. It also allows for the emotions of a product experience although it is not a personal possession.