Prospects for Investment in Carsharing and New Business Models in Мoldova

Abstract

The article assesses the prospects for investment in carsharing in the Republic of Moldova and identifies the business models with the highest implementation potential. The relevance of the topic is driven by the growth of shared mobility in Europe, the gradual digitalisation of urban services, and the increasing interest in electric transport in Moldova. The study is based on comparative analysis, market screening, and the use of official statistics, policy documents, and data from operators already active in Chișinău. The results show that Moldova has a set of favourable conditions for launching pilot carsharing projects: concentration of demand in Chișinău, a broad base of registered passenger cars, high penetration of mobile internet, and rapid growth in electric and hybrid vehicle registrations. At the same time, the market remains limited by the small scale of the country, still-incipient charging infrastructure, parking constraints, and regulatory uncertainty. The most promising formats are station-based electric carsharing in Chișinău, hybrid minute-hour-day tariff models, and B2B fleet sharing for companies and institutions. It is concluded that investment in carsharing in Moldova is feasible primarily as a phased urban model, with gradual scaling after pilot validation. CZU: 330.322:656.1:334.72(478); JEL: L91, M13, R41