Car sharing in Jena

The city of Jena wants to expand its carsharing parking spaces from the current 85 to at least 122 by fall 2023. Following the conclusion of a public procedure for expressions of interest, Jena will have the highest number of parking spaces for carsharing in all of Thuringia in the fall of 2023.

The procedure will identify a total of 17 public locations with 37 new parking spaces throughout Jena's urban area, including four parking spaces for e-vehicles with charging stations. A special use permit will be issued to the bidder (teilAuto) in the process for a maximum of eight years.

Mayor Christian Gerlitz says: "Car sharing is an important component of modern mobility and transport planning and also an appropriate response to increasingly scarce parking space and increased environmental pollution. I am therefore pleased that we are meeting the need for sustainable mobility with the expanded range of carsharing spaces in Jena."

Car sharing in Jena - amendment to the law makes extended location search possible

Carsharing is a fundamental part of future urban mobility for the city of Jena, which is why the development of this offer is effectively supported. City of Jena has already developed a strategy for the implementation of car sharing in 2017 and presented it in the urban development committee.

The topic is considered a priority by the city council and is anchored in numerous resolutions of the city council. To be mentioned here are: Guidelines Mobility in Jena 2030, Public Transport Concept 2030+, Local Transport Plan 2022+, Sustainability Strategy of the City of Jena and Climate Action Plan - Jena climate neutral by 2035.

Until now, carsharing providers had to limit themselves to private (not publicly dedicated) spaces. This limited the offer, especially in high-demand areas with high competition for space (city center, Damenviertel). Existing, publicly dedicated parking spaces could not be made available for effective carsharing use. With the amendment of the Thuringian Road Act (§18a) at the end of 2022 with regard to the special use fee to be charged, there is now for the first time the possibility to make publicly dedicated spaces available for car sharing with an appropriate fee and to put them out to tender. This means that additional attractive locations can be developed and made accessible.

Background: How carsharing contributes to traffic relief and a municipal traffic turnaround

Car sharing reduces the number of private cars and thus the need for parking space.

• According to scientific studies, one carsharing vehicle replaces up to ten private cars and relieves the street space from moving and stationary traffic.
• The construction and maintenance of cost-intensive parking facilities (parking garages) can be avoided through car sharing.
• The construction costs per parking space in Jena are currently between 30,000 - 60,000 € in parking garages and underground garages.

Car sharing reduces the number of trips made with a car in favor of environmental means of transport (public transport, cycling, walking), because one's own car is no longer "so easily" available.