Sustainable travel modes in Saudi Arabia: is there a potential for formal car-sharing scheme?

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the actual demand on formal car-sharing scheme in Saudi Arabia as a means of public modes of transport in order to assess the potential future of this mode in Saudi Arabia as a policy measure. Design/methodology/approach – In this context, this paper investigates the potential feasibility of introducing formal car-sharing scheme as a means of public modes of transport in Tabuk city. Investigation of the characteristics of trip makers, which impact on the decision of selecting the currently available informal car-sharing as a mode of travel, is presented. The paper investigates the factors which affect the decisions of car-sharing in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia using the household survey data. Discrete choice modelling techniques have been adopted in this research to investigate behaviour and attitudes to car-sharing and the binary logit model has been utilised. Findings – From the results, in the case of Tabuk, the main factor in selection of the transport mode is the social role, and specifically the role inside the family. Results showed that about 49 per cent of total respondents drive to work, while about 20 per cent reported that they use car-sharing. About 8 per cent of respondents reported that they use a private driver, while other 8 per cent reported that they use a contracted driver. Originality/value – Investigation of the potential of introducing formal car-sharing scheme in Saudi Arabia as a means of public modes of transport in Saudi Arabia which is a more sustainable mode of transport.