Everything You Need to Know About Bundesverband CarSharing e. V.

What is Bundesverband CarSharing (bcs)?
Bundesverband CarSharing e. V., commonly abbreviated as bcs, is the central association representing providers of traditional car-sharing services in Germany. It was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Berlin, where it represents dozens of providers before German legislative and administrative bodies (en.wikipedia.org).

Its membership ranges from major companies such as Stadtmobil and Flintster, reaching around 200 organizations out of roughly 243 providers in Germany.

Vision and Goals
bcs aims to reduce private car ownership and ease traffic congestion and environmental pollution by promoting car sharing as part of the future of sustainable mobility. The association also advocates integrating CarSharing with public transport such as buses and trains (carsharing.de).

Key objectives include:

• Providing affordable, environmentally friendly alternatives to private cars.

• Expanding charging networks and infrastructure for electric vehicles within car-sharing services.

• Supporting initiatives such as “Social Leasing” that enable low-income groups to access electric cars.

Activities and Services

Advocacy and legal dialogue
The association engages with the government, parliament, and regional bodies to shape the legal framework and legislation related to car sharing. It is a member of organizations such as VDV (public transport associations) and UITP at European and global levels.

Annual data and market analysis
Each year, the association publishes detailed reports on the number of vehicles, users, and municipalities covered by shared cars—reaching more than 5.5 million participants in 2024.

Support for municipalities and funders
The association provides local initiatives and administrations with tools and guidance that help designate parking spaces for shared cars and organize procedures for special leasing arrangements.

Responding to technological change
bcs plays a prominent role in guiding the shift to electric vehicles by offering strategies to improve infrastructure and develop charging plans tailored to CarSharing (carsharing.de).

Management structure and members
bcs is led by an executive management team that includes figures such as Bernd Kremer, Christian Reining, Niklas Wachholtz, and Gisela Warmke, representing the interests of member groups (en.wikipedia.org).

Members range from small local providers operating one or two cars to large nationwide companies with thousands of vehicles across hundreds of cities.

Current and Future Impact
According to the association’s data, one in five shared cars can replace 20 private cars in residential neighborhoods, freeing up street space and encouraging reliance on public transport and bicycles.

Shift to electric vehicles: EVs now make up about 17.8% of the fleet, compared with 2.9% of electric cars in Germany overall—an indicator of rapid environmental progress (carsharing.de).

Geographic reach: Coverage spans around 935 municipalities in Germany, with 30,200 shared cars and 3.4 million users as of early 2022—and the numbers continue to grow (carsharing.org).

Conclusion
Bundesverband CarSharing e. V. is considered the core of an ambitious movement toward a sustainable mobility future in Germany, combining societal change with technological progress. Through political advocacy, precise statistics, and technical support for municipalities, bcs has played a central role in shifting the concept of car ownership toward smart sharing. Today, it stands at the heart of efforts to achieve a better local economy, a cleaner environment, and a more efficient mobility experience for users across both urban and rural Germany.

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