# An Overview of Shared Mobility Operational Models in Europe
## 3 Carsharing
### Operational Models  
There are different operational models for carsharing depending on the type of service provided and the population. According to [16], carsharing operational models are divided into access-based and platform-based services. They state that access-based services can be B2C (business-to-consumer), B2B (business-to-business), and cooperative models, and that platform-based services are P2P (peer-to-peer) models.  
According to [17], there are five main types of carsharing services:  
* B2C round-trip
* B2C One-way station-based
* B2C One-way free-floating
* P2P
* Corporate  
In a paper by [18], business models are defined as free-floating, round-trip station-based, peer-to-peer models and the combination of round-trip station-based and free-floating. Their approach is different from those of [16; 17]. However, it is also important to note that the approach of [17] is different from that of [16]. In [19], the authors divided operational models into one-way, free-floating and round trips. It can be concluded that there is no unified opinion or clear definition of the business and operational models of carsharing.  
It is crucial to define the differences between the business and operational models for carsharing. While it may seem the same, it is very important to know that business models are the first question when you are trying to implement a new carsharing system: \"To whom do I want to provide my services?\". The answer to that question is one of the operational models: it can be B2C, which is where you as a business provide services to regular people who have no affiliation to any company you may also provide services to, aka. consumers. It can be B2B, where you as a business provide services to other businesses and not to the public. They can also be cooperative or \"self-regulating communities\" [20] which is based on collective car ownership and usage among a specific or formalized local group, such as friends, neighbors, or a nonprofit organization. Companies that offer B2B services often also offer B2C services, where one does not necessarily exclude the other. After the business model is defined, the next step is to determine the operational model of carsharing that is to be implemented. Round-trip, one-way station-based and one-way free-floating carsharing models were defined by [17]. The oldest operational model of carsharing is the round-trip model [21]. In the round trip, users typically choose from various stations that are implemented in the city, the closest station to them, and in each station, there are various types of cars for them to choose. The length of the rental and the price the customer pays depend on the financial model of the provider. The most important aspect of round-trip is that the pick-up point is the same as the drop-off point [22]. The free-floating carsharing model allows users to pick-up and drop-off vehicles on any public surface within the coverage area determined by the operator [22]. The novelty of the free-floating model is that the location where the vehicle is abandoned does not have to be the same as the location where the vehicle is collected. This offers significantly greater flexibility to users.