A key benefit of using car sharing services (relative to car ownership) is that they are more cost effective. Car sharing firms offer a menu of pricing plans to make this happen. The two most common plans are flat-rate and pay-per-use pricing. However, little is known about how consumers choose among these pricing plans. In this study, we analyze consumers' choices between pay-per-use and flat-rate pricing using data from a car sharing provider in a large European city. In contrast to previous research, we find a prevalent and time-persistent pay-per-use bias. Specifically, depending on the definition of the bias, 21% to 32% of customers exhibit this bias. This bias also persists over time within customer. We propose three potential explanations for the existence and persistence of this bias. First, we suggest that customers underestimate their usage. Second, we propose that customers have a preference for flexibility, leading them to pay more. Finally, we show that the physical context, such as weather, increases the likelihood of a pay-per-use bias. Our findings suggest that more research into consumer response to pricing in the Sharing Economy is needed.

使用汽车共享服务（相对于汽车拥有量而言）的一个主要好处是它们更具成本效益。汽车共享公司提供了一系列定价计划来实现这一目标。两种最常见的计划是统一费率和按使用付费定价。然而，人们对消费者如何在这些定价计划中进行选择知之甚少。在这项研究中，我们使用来自欧洲大城市的汽车共享提供商的数据分析了消费者在按使用付费和统一定价之间的选择。与之前的研究相比，我们发现普遍存在且持续存在的按使用付费偏差。具体来说，根据偏差的定义，21% 到 32% 的客户表现出这种偏差。随着时间的推移，这种偏见也会在客户中持续存在。我们对这种偏见的存在和持续提出了三种可能的解释。第一的，我们建议客户低估他们的使用量。其次，我们建议客户对灵活性有偏好，导致他们支付更多。最后，我们表明物理环境，如天气，增加了按使用付费偏差的可能性。我们的研究结果表明，需要对共享经济中消费者对定价的反应进行更多研究。