A Study on Public Acceptance of Carpooling to Mitigate Traffic Congestion in the City of Casablanca, Morocco

Casablanca city is the largest city in Morocco and its main industrial labour centre. Population growth of the city has put a considerable strain on the local transportation system. Between 2006 and 2014, the private car fleet in circulation increased by 57%. In response, the supply of local public transportation systems was increased by implementing a tramway in 2011. However, many residents still prefer private cars or other modes to commute to work or for other purposes. Many researchers recommended a shift towards Traffic Demand Management (TDM) strategies such as carpooling, which can reduce private cars in circulation by increasing the occupancy rate of the vehicles. Still, public acceptance of such a solution must carry out a modal shift. Although the existing literature contains many studies related to promoting carpooling acceptance, very few have been conducted in the Moroccan context, where carpooling is more informal and limited to inter-urban trips. This study investigates carpooling acceptance among a sample of Casablanca residents. An online questionnaire survey was carried out to determine the carpooling experience, and socio-economic and travel behaviour attributes. Descriptive statistics and frequency distributions were used to analyse the collected data. For responders that never used carpooling before, the COVID-19 pandemic, preference for long-distance carpooling, safety and privacy concerns were the main deterrents to participating in carpooling. In addition, verification of identity, increasing the carpooling offer and parking incentives are the main strategies to promote carpooling in Casablanca city.