Although 2022 was a year full of twists and turns, we made sure that whenever you needed car, carsharing was there for you.
First the highlights:
- The growth in the number of registered users of our car sharing services continues.
- The financial balance is in the black for the second year running.
- Interest in carsharing is growing among private car sharers, but also companies and freelancers.
- Data analysis has shown that our carsharing users are planning their rentals much less in advance than in previous years.
- In the car market, there are still problems with the supply of new cars, yet we have managed to strengthen and modernise our fleet.
- With us, you will find a suitable and safe car whenever you need it.
Autonapůl is the only carsharing where you can choose LPG, electric, hybrid or combustion cars.
Innovations in the fleet
The deterioration in car availability continued after the covid in 2022. Although deliveries of new cars for Autonapůl have also been delayed, new hybrids are already in service and combustion combi cars will be included from early 2023.
Already in the spring of 2022, we have added LPG-fuelled vehicles to the fleet - the Dacia Sandero. We have chosen them to replace the cheapest Citigo. Compared to them, they offer greater comfort, more space and more sophisticated infotainment.
Spring for Olomouc is the name of the project that has brought two Dacia Spring electric cars to this city since May. Our partners are Auto Kubíček and Renault Czech Republic.
Also new is a change in the sharing of the iconic Tesla. As a fixed part of the Brno fleet, we have newly included the Model 3 Standard Range Plus from June 2022. You can rent it in the same self-service mode as other cars. We also conceived of the introduction of the Tesla Olaf as an opportunity to meet our carsharers in person, who used it in unexpectedly large numbers, which encouraged us as well as the great interest in test drives - with Tesla and other electric cars.
The most numerous new car of 2022 was added to our fleet in the autumn - the Toyota Corolla Combi hybrid. Toyota is one of the pioneers of the so-called full hybrid - a combination of an internal combustion engine, an electric motor and a small battery. The driver doesn't have to worry about recharging while driving, yet electricity fully replaces the internal combustion engine in many situations. Hybrids in particular are helping to reduce emissions in cities and create a better environment for its inhabitants.
Read more
Electric car sharing project launches in Olomouc
Electromobile and how to use it
Tesla is back - Olaf strengthens the Autonapůl fleet - Tesla Model 3
Toyota Corolla - hybrids for the first time in the Autonapůl fleet
Carsharing is a trend among companies and freelancers
A better image through sustainability, saving energy and money, environmental responsibility - all this is being addressed by companies and so-called freelancers today. The use of smart solutions, to which carsharing definitely belongs in the field of mobility, contributes to reputation and branding.
Carsharing is also used by many Czech foundations and non-profit organizations. We can mention, for example, the Partnership Foundation, the Via Foundation, Zlatá rybka or Eduin - Czech information center on education.
Carsharing is also an easy solution for companies when they need an extra car or a van. Freelancers, on the other hand, appreciate the independence or the choice between different types of cars. Exactly as they need it.
And it's businesses and freelancers who can use carsharing incredibly effectively. Last year, their journeys accounted for 27% of all the miles they drove, which they managed with only 19% of the total bookings. Meanwhile, businesses and sole traders account for only 17% of Autonapůl's carsharers.
Read more:
Carsharing as a lovebrand with benefits for society
Companies used carsharing more than ever last year, people combine public and shared mobility
Trips abroad
With Autonapůl, you don't have to deal with any unnecessary formalities, permits, or approvals when traveling abroad. You just book a car, get in and you're done. That's why our car sharers love to use the Autonapůl fleet for their trips abroad. Shared cars make holidays more enjoyable, help with business trips and make you more flexible. Selected cars have Austrian and Slovakian vignettes or Eco Plakette for entering German cities. And you don't pay a penny extra for them - the "vignettes'' are included in the basic booking price.
1,201,605 km - that's how many kilometers our fleet (80 cars on average, depending on the season) covered in 2022. That's more than three trips to the Moon.
Carsharing and public transport are partners, not competitors
We actively encourage our car sharers to combine multiple modes of transport - that is, to use carsharing only when traveling by public transport, train or bus is not efficient enough. We see public transport as a partner, not a competitor. Those who travel between two cities with our cars by train will earn our rewards. This saves money on carsharing, but it also means lower emissions.
Thanks to the ČD Points loyalty programme, our carsharers have already saved more than a quarter of a million crowns, including CZK 96,500 in 2022 alone. And this trend is growing all the time. So... Next time you take a longer journey, get on a ČD train and turn your ticket points into a lower amount on your carsharing invoice.
And why are we doing this? So you can travel more efficiently, more environmentally friendly and cheaper.
In addition, the discount on travel with Autonapůl is one of the most popular benefits with our national carrier.
Partners help communicate important topics
With Autonapůl, we regularly participate in the Bike to Work initiative organized by AutoMat. Our common theme is urban space and mobility. We have been cooperating since 2014.
We are actively involved in Změna k lepšímu (Change for the Better), an initiative to promote sustainable business.
Our partners are Czech Railways, bikesharing Rekola and the Záchranka app.
Our partner in the field of research is Palacký University in Olomouc, with whose experts we are researching barriers to the use of carsharing.
As partners for sustainable mobility, we have supported the independent film festivals PAF Olomouc and Kamera Oko Ostrava.
Autonapůl's work has also been recognised by reaching the finals of the regional round of the prestigious business competition Company of the Year 2022 / Entrepreneur of the Year 2022.
In 2022, we are also involved in helping Ukraine. As a team, we actively participated in the Železnice pomáhá (Railways Helps) project, which is close to our hearts not only in idea but also in personal involvement. We transported material and women who left before the war. Our cars made the journey directly to Ukraine with humanitarian aid thanks to Nesehnutí.
Read more:
Public space isn't inflatable and shouldn't just be used for parking, says Autonapůl director
We're here for our carsharers - nonstop
We appreciate the fact that we have long been the top-ranked carsharing company in the Czech Republic on Google or Facebook.
We're available 24 hours a day, all year round on our helpline. There is always an experienced colleague who can help in unexpected situations, advise on registration and the use of shared cars.
As the number of car sharers is growing and interest in carsharing is increasing, we introduced a voice machine for our help line as early as January. This is best documented by the numbers: in 2022, colleagues handled 2,499 calls, and in 2021, 1,701 calls.
We gather the opinions and, above all, the satisfaction of our carsharers through surveys, and we also discuss them on social media. We have been impressed by the interest in face-to-face meetings not only at our own events, but also during Earth Day or European Mobility Week, where we have acted as partners. And of course we share the news through newsletters, social media and the blog.
Our cars save space for people in cities
We create space for people. This has been Autonapůl's motto since 2003. We want public space to serve people. But every car needs a parking space - and then that's missing here for a park, elsewhere for a playground or whatever else. Carsharing is part of the solution - sustainable mobility, which is also supported by many Czech and Moravian cities, for example through discounted parking in their centers.
Did you know that...
According to research, each of the shared cars in a zone-based carsharing scheme replaces 15-18 privately owned cars. (This is roughly four times more than in so-called free-float carsharing.)
There is no carsharing like carsharing
Does carsharing really save that much space? Which one... Carsharing operates so-called round-trip, it can be divided into station-based or zone-based. Users book cars in advance, but also on a minute-to-minute basis, via a web or mobile app. They pay for the hours booked and the kilometers driven. They pick up and return their cars at a pre-determined location or parking zone. This is the way of carsharing that saves the most space.
In contrast, free-float carsharing cars can be picked up and returned anywhere within the city. That's why you can't book them long in advance - you don't know if the car will be on the other side of town.
This is one of the reasons why free-floats need far more cars (and thus take up more space and parking than round-trip carsharing). They need to be "everywhere" for users to use them. We, on the other hand, emphasize the most efficient use of cars.
Did you know that...
Autonapůl carsharing averages 15,000 kilometers per year, compared to the 3,714 km indicated by free-float carsharing companies. And on top of that... If carsharing is too accessible, carsharing stops saving space because people use carsharing instead of public transport.
Autonapůl users use shared cars an average of 30% of the time each day, whereas privately owned cars are used only 5% of the time.
Plans and challenges for the future
We have set several goals for 2023. Of course, we want to continue to renew and modernize our fleet. We want to continue to offer our sharers new and safe vehicles that they can rely on for their journeys.
More and more of our cars can now be found on the streets faster and open more easily than with a smart card. We're improving comfort with a growing proportion of new Invers branded on-board units, which offer, for example, instant response to directions from a mobile app and significantly more accurate vehicle location.
Based on the feedback from the survey and feedback from face-to-face meetings, we are delighted with the interest of our sharers in carsharing innovations. That's why we decided to continue the tradition of face to face meetings in the cities where Autonapůl operates during the year. In this way, we will present and discuss not only Autonapůl news but also the overall trends in the field of sustainable mobility.
Carsharing is part of the transport mix that contributes to convenient transport not only in cities. However, to really reduce the number of cars on the streets, public policies that discourage private car ownership must work. For example, taxing the purchase of a vehicle, expensive parking permits in cities or a change in the preference for company cars for businesses must help to create space for people instead of cars.
More and more people and companies are discovering the benefits of carsharing. A car with no strings attached, yet available when needed, is the trend of modern mobility. 🙂
1 Chapman, D.A., Eyckmans, J., Van Acker, K.: Does Car-Sharing Reduce Car-Use?, 2020