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Perceptions of University students to participating in a carshare program
Seven focus groups were conducted with students enrolled at the University of South Florida Tampa campus. Separate focus group sessions were held with resident students, non-resident students, international students, and current carshare members. Students were recruited for participation primarily via Facebook pages associated with the University of South Florida, and through the USF Note-A-Bull student email listserv.
Students identified several barriers to participating in the existing carshare program, including: lack of awareness; misconceptions about the program; competition from other services; lack of freedom; extra fees; differing rental return and campus shuttle schedules; and positive beliefs about vehicle ownership. Major benefits to participating in the carshare program included: cost savings; convenience; the carshare app; lower age requirement; ease of use; flexibility; and vehicle selection. Two additional themes emerged from the focus groups: (1) students wanted to learn about the carshare program from other students who have used the program; and (2) the program should be specifically branded towards University of South Florida students.
The identification of barriers and benefits is useful to gain a better understanding of students’ perceptions regarding participating in the existing University carshare program. By understanding the factors that influence students’ decision making, strategies that highlight the benefits and lesson the barriers can be implemented, with the ultimate goal of reducing the number of vehicles on campus.
Learning Areas:
Environmental health sciencesPublic health or related education
Social and behavioral sciences
Learning Objectives:
Discuss the importance of carshare programs as a TDM strategy.
Identify the barriers and benefits to participating in a carshare program.
Explain how the identification of barriers and benefits can be used to develop strategies to change behavior.
Keyword(s): Transportation
Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am a post-doctoral scholar working at the Center for Urban Transportation Research in Transportation Demand Management. I have extensive experience conducting and analyzing focus group data. Among my interests are qualitative, formative research methods.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.