Car sharing in the canton of Geneva

The canton of Geneva is currently one of Mobility’s most important regions. The cooperative has significantly expanded its car sharing scheme there in recent years and is aiming to continue growing. The lessons learned are important for the whole of Switzerland.

In Switzerland’s westernmost corner, car sharing is in top gear. Here in the canton of Geneva, Mobility has seen significant growth in all areas in recent years:

• In five years, the number of cars has increased from 200 to around 300.
• In 2025, the number of users reached the 20'000 mark – an increase of a quarter in three years.
• At the end of 2025, 82 electric cars were available – doubling in two years.
• 1 Mobility car replaces 21 private cars in the city of Geneva, saving 2'800 parking spaces.

“In the canton of Geneva, we have been able to meet the growing car sharing needs of residents very well in recent years,” says Michael Roth Gut, Head of Offer and Infrastructure at Mobility, adding: “There is still great potential for switching to sustainable mobility.”

The current trend is the result of many committed players, such as the responsible Area Manager, Luca Borra: “After joining Mobility in 2019, I quickly realised that Geneva has the greatest potential in French-speaking Switzerland.”

He immediately noticed two things: firstly, the Mobility offer was less developed than in German-speaking Switzerland. Secondly, the conditions were favourable both politically and in terms of urban planning. The city of Geneva, for example, is one of the densest cities in Europe, economically very attractive and a frequent transport end point.

Creating more car parks with stronger partnership

This starting point is a double-edged sword. Because where there are lots of people in a small space, there is also traffic and a shortage of parking spaces. As a major tenant of parking spaces, this is a challenge for Mobility – in terms of searching and costs. Luca says: “In 2020, of the 12 most expensive car parks in Switzerland, eight were in Geneva.” That’s why Mobility was looking for new solutions. One of these was to strengthen relations with the public authorities. And this has proven successful: we now have a strong partnership with Switzerland’s largest multi-storey car park operator, Fondations des Parkings. Andrea Keiser, Head of Offer Provision, says: “The assistance of Fondations des Parkings in expanding and electrifying the offer has been truly amazing.” It is now the second-largest location partner after SBB.

Urban projects as an opportunity for more car sharing

But companies that play a role in major construction projects that incorporate car sharing into their planning at an early stage are also important when looking for parking spaces. The urban development project PAV, one of Europe’s largest urban renewal projects, is worth mentioning here. With this project, the three municipalities of Carouge, Geneva and Lancy are aiming to create 12'400 homes and 6'200 jobs over the next few years – in the most sustainable way possible. One of the first projects is the new district of Vernets with 1'000 apartments and 3'000 jobs in the heart of the city of Geneva. In the interests of sustainable neighbourhood mobility, up to ten of Mobility’s electric cars are planned to be used. This positive example illustrates how important it is for Mobility to be closely involved in urban development plans at an early stage. Area Manager Luca says: “Car sharing must be considered from the outset.”

The signs of growth are encouraging

Mobility has set itself the goal of doubling take-up of car sharing in Switzerland by 2035 and providing locations and vehicles accordingly. The Geneva region is a cornerstone of this ambition. In 2026, we will be opening numerous new locations and adding around 40 additional Mobility cars to our offer,” says Michael Roth Gut.

In the city in particular, the signs point to favourable conditions for further expansion: the population is growing, the topography and climate favour gentle mobility and there are many investments in sustainable mobility infrastructures, such as the Léman Express and the expansion of cycle paths.
Luca Borra says: “In the long term, I believe that Geneva will become one of Europe’s leading cities when it comes to sustainable mobility.”

What can Mobility learn in Geneva?

Geneva shows that the potential of car sharing can be exploited if shared, sustainable mobility is integrated into the planning of urban development areas at an early stage. In general, car sharing should be considered early on in real estate projects in order to save on parking spaces and costs. It also shows how important it is to work with public authorities in order to preserve valuable parking spaces in urban areas where necessary. And to complete the network, placement-shares with municipalities, companies or real estate projects are a valuable opportunity.

Ultimately, expanding the car sharing service locally remains a complex matter. However, Mobility has brought in new specialists over the past three years and significantly developed the planning of its offer – in particular by expanding its expertise in data-based demand analysis. This means that the cooperative is superbly equipped to take car sharing in western Switzerland to the next level.