An Introduction to Car Sharing to Cut Costs – Coming to a City Near You?

How often do you really drive your vehicle? Is it enough to warrant all the expenses incurred with owning a car like gasoline, routine maintenance, and insurance and loan payments? If you drive less than ten to twelve thousand miles a year, you could get rid of the extra vehicle that is sucking money out of your wallet and try a car sharing program.

The concept of car sharing is fairly simple. Think of it as sharing a vehicle amongst a number of people for a small nominal fee. When you need a car, you just call ahead and reserve the use of a car, then hop in and go about your business. There are a number of car sharing programs popping up all over the United States, especially in larger city areas where public transportation is plentiful but parking is not and traffic is a headache. Car sharing programs would cost someone just a small fraction of what a car owner pays every month.

For the most part, car-sharing programs own a fleet of cars, which are kept in a number of lots throughout a city area. Participants of the car-sharing program can call ahead or use a web site to reserve the use of a car for their needs. Members have a special electronic key tied to a special frequency to open the car, much like those alarm and unlocking mechanisms that many car owners have these days. Many members pay a fee or deposit for the application process and then a small cost per month to maintain membership. The car sharing company incurs all the costs of routine maintenance, some gasoline, loan payments and insurance. Members are just asked to fill up the vehicle with gasoline if they run the tank low.

A car-sharing program could be the answer for many people who could survive for the most part without a second vehicle or even any vehicle. Just think about it a little. At what times would you need that car the most? Getting to and from work, you would normally use some alternate form of transportation whether it is walking, biking, or the bus or van pool. A large percentage of the time, your alternate transportation is taken care of. It is those last minute or spur of the moment trips, which would not be feasible.

Have a hankering to get a quick bite to eat in the middle of the night? How about a little weekend getaway? Public transportation runs late in many cities but if it’s three in the morning, you just might be out of luck. As for the weekend getaways, renting a car or participating in a car-sharing program could be just the thing to solve your car less dilemma.

You are probably thinking: But what about going to the grocery store or running errands? What if my child gets sick and I have to take her to the doctor? Participating in a car-sharing program would see you through those times when a car is a necessity. Many times, you do not even have to reserve a vehicle ahead of time. Of course, you cannot predict sickness but with regular errand running, you can plan your time wisely. Now, you could choose a day to get your errands accomplished and plan your route. Then all you would have to do is call the car sharing company and get a car to use for the day or even a few hours.

There are always trade-offs with a car-sharing program. For some people, it may not be a feasible move. For instance, if you commute from the outer suburbs of a city or even the country, car sharing may be a tougher option to take advantage of. For others struggling to get by in a large city, car sharing may be the answer to their financial prayers. Public transportation is very affordable and without the expense of a vehicle, you are saving not only on those costs listed above like routine maintenance, insurance and loan payments, but you are also saving on the cost of parking and even storing it in a garage.

If the thought of sitting in traffic or paying that hefty vehicle insurance bill is getting you down, consider a car-sharing program. Before going through the application process, be sure to write down all the pros and cons of getting rid of your vehicle and going for a car-sharing program. Think of all the emergency situations where you might need a car. If the pros outweigh the cons in this car sharing debate, you just might have found a new way to travel!

Recommended

For more on car sharing visit The Car Sharing Network.