Sharing is Caring

People are increasingly questioning car ownership and the associated maintenance costs, especially in light of rising inflation. Some city dwellers have therefore decided against owning a car and opt for mobility solutions such as car sharing or car subscription services instead, while others combine the two.

Our customers are city dwellers of different ages for whom convenience and flexibility are particularly important. They tend to use car sharing services for short trips, to get from A to B quickly – especially when there are stops between A and B, such as shopping. However, we are also seeing an increase in longer journeys, so we have introduced travel packages. These allow our customers to see how much they will have to spend on a planned longer journey in advance. Customers then know when they buy the package how long and how far they can travel for a fixed amount.

We offer a wide range of different car models in our fleet to meet our customers’ needs – from compact to premium cars. From Volkswagen, we currently offer the Taigo, Golf 8, T-Cross and T-Roc, Crafter, and the eCrafter, which plays an important role in our fleet. It was the first electric commercial vehicle model to be added to CityBee's fleet and has established itself well. Our customers use it especially for inner-city transport, such as removals. We are seeing that more and more customers are choosing electric when they need a commercial vehicle.

Electric cars currently make up quite a small portion of our fleet. However, electrification is one of our strategic goals. Our aim is to have a fully electric car fleet by 2030. To achieve this, we need appropriate infrastructure in all markets where we are active – currently Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania – so we cannot get there very quickly.

The charging infrastructure in the Baltic states is currently only under construction. In Lithuania, there are already quite a number of charging stations, but Latvia and Estonia are somewhat smaller countries where the demand is not yet as high. Unlike in Lithuania, electric cars and charging stations are not subsidized there. Consequently, infrastructure development in the Baltic states is unfortunately not yet progressing quickly enough. In particular, there is a lack of charging stations in residential areas, or if they do exist, they are not yet functioning properly. So, there is still a way to go before full electrification is achieved, and it will take a great deal of effort from companies, governments, and customers.

In our operational markets, electric cars are gaining attention and popularity – people are slowly getting to know them. Especially in the context of rising fuel prices and an interest in environmentally friendly options. Trends are not so easy to judge yet. But of course, electric cars are the future for all of us. In the end, we must all look for ways to decarbonise the EU transport sector and resolve the global climate crisis.

Our customers use the car not only for short trips but also for long and sometimes international journeys, so practical features are very much appreciated. Customers like the automatic transmission, the Apple Car/Android Auto systems installed in the CityBee vehicles, the adaptive cruise control, the reversing camera, the heated seats, etc. Our customers appreciate cars with a higher spec. They also want to try out as many different vehicle models as possible.

The most important criteria we take into account are our customers' preferences and needs. Based on the bookings, we can assess which cars they find attractive and comfortable and which ones suit their many different lifestyles.

The TCO is almost the same if you consider the subsidies for e-models. However, combustion engines are still more profitable for us at the moment, due to the higher demand. In Latvia and Estonia, electric vehicles are not subsidized. At this stage, e-vehicles are still quite expensive, and they depreciate faster. However, as fuel prices continue to rise, it is increasingly worthwhile to choose e-vehicles. In addition, countries in the EU are already introducing additional restrictions and taxes for polluting cars.

Vehicles on the car sharing platform are not private, so we face the challenge of maintaining all the cars in the fleet at a level that ensures that every customer has the best experience from the start to the end of their journey. We must ensure that every vehicle in our fleet is technically in good condition, clean and safe, preferably before each trip.

Now that we are already well established in the Baltic states, we plan to expand in both existing and new European markets in the coming years. We strongly believe in our vision of providing comfortable car sharing and car subscription services, while contributing to greener cities.

Volkswagen is making an important contribution to the expansion of our car sharing services and the development of mobility solutions. We want to meet our customers’ expectations and we know we can do that by offering the most popular brands in the market.