The social factors that influence the success of rural carshare operations in the Kootenay Region of British Columbia, Canada

This research examined what social factors influenced the success or failure of rural carsharing branches in the Kootenay Region of British Columbia, Canada. There has been limited research done on the emergent carsharing industry and nothing studying best practices that operate in the type of rural setting in which the Kootenay Carshare Cooperative operates (populations of 1000-10,000). Through a series of eleven purposive interviews the research followed grounded theory methodology incorporating triangulation to develop concepts about which factors were most influential. The results showed that there were significant differences in success factors between urban and rural operations. There were seven social factors identified that influenced the success of rural carsharing most notably limited access to transit alternatives, local politics, peer communication networks and community diversity.