Encouraging the transition to car sharing services (CSS) in cities may reduce parking space needs, traffic and pollution. This study focuses on Warsaw, Poland, as a case study of a city in Central and Eastern Europe, where CSS adoption has been lacklustre with some CSS being discontinued.

To gain a deeper understanding of the lack of acceptance we aimed
(1) to elicit the preferences for CSS among citizens of Warsaw, and
(2) to assess how the provision of information influences attitudes toward CSS.

We surveyed a random sample of 1,157 adult Warsaw citizens online, half of whom were exposed to information on CSS benefits. To gauge preferences across various scenarios, we employed a discrete choice experiment, wherein respondents selected their preferred CSS option to be launched, not limited to a specific single trip.

Our findings reveal that the provision of additional information had no impact on preferences or anticipated usage. Through latent class modelling of the choices (including a garbage class to control for data quality), we identified two distinct respondent classes. These classes diverged primarily in their attitudes toward engine types: the majority class (72%) favoured combustion engines, while the minority class (22%) preferred battery-electric ones. The larger class exhibited a greater need for additional benefits (e.g. exclusive parking spots, access to bus lanes) and nationwide travel options.

Our study underscores the importance of both municipal support for CSS and recognition of the diversity of preferences among potential users for the successful deployment of CSS.