Car Sharing Programs as a Cool Neighborhood Amenity

Car sharing programs (also written as carsharing) usually are actually short-term rentals, where people are pre-approved and often can reserve the car they need on-line. Pick-up and drop-off operates on a self-service basis, with the car being parked in a predetermined location. Hourly rental is common, and in fact in many places is the norm.

This program is most effective where people live in high density situations, such as downtowns, universities, or large housing complexes. There is also some potential in small towns where residents typically are able to walk everywhere, or in golf cart communities where users may occasionally need a vehicle for a trip to a nearby larger town.

More than 600 cities having car sharing programs have been observed across the globe. The advantages for the individual user occur because the capital cost of the car, insurance, and maintenance are accounted for in the rental cost. If the miles driven are few, it makes great economic sense.

The advantage for society may well be that the user tends to do less joy riding, since the rental cost includes the fixed costs that most vehicle owners prefer to ignore. Studies showed that people who join such arrangements also increase their transit use, walking, and cycling for transportation.

We like the idea for useful-community-development.org because some neighborhood associations should consider adding hourly vehicle rental co-ops to their program.

Typically this arrangement would not be cost effective for the daily commuter, but it's great financially for those who drive less.

Operational models differ, as do procedures for obtaining access to the keys and logging trips. Some are very serious businesses, and I encountered one that was more of a five-friends-sharing-a-car deal.

This idea began in Europe, but now has progressed to the United States, Canada, and Australia. The best known American programs may be in Boston, Washington DC, and Portland.

This development also may be related to the various bike rental programs struggling to get underway. Paris has a massive scale bike rental program with access over much of the city, and others strive to imitate and deal with the theft issue, which is a bit more complex than for automobiles.

If you're in a dense neighborhood, at a university, a large retirement village, or a large medical complex where many employees live in the area, see if you can organize a program of your own. One of the major rental companies may or may not help you out.

But it's an energy conservation step that's worth a try. For more information, see the Car Sharing Network, or use your search engine to see what's happening near you.

Return from Car Sharing Programs to Sustainability