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Car Sharing is the new, eco-friendly alternative to car ownership and traditional car rental. When you join a car sharing service you'll have self-serve access to a fleet of vehicles parked in your neighborhood and pay by the hour when you drive.
First, you have to sign up. Go to a car share service's web site like Zipcar or Car2Go. They'll need to check out your driving record before giving you the thumbs up. A car sharing system typically involves yearly or monthly membership fees and most services offer several options based on how often you think you'll need to use a car. Rental is typically by the hour with gas and insurance included.
Once you're approved, you'll receive a smart card or electronic key in the mail. When you're ready to roll, reserve your car online, over the phone, or even with your iPhone or smartphone app. Cars are kept in designated lots or parking spaces. Hybrid and fuel efficient vehicles are usually available.
The latest twist is peer-to-peer car sharing. Companies such as RelayRides and Getaround allow users to rent vehicles from each other. Unlike traditional car-sharing companies, peer-to-peer companies save on the overhead cost of buying a fleet of cars and have the potential to expand beyond the confines of cities into college campuses and suburbs. Owners are paid when they're not using their vehicle and renters get the convenience of cheap car rentals right around the corner. The peer-to-peer company deals with the insurance, electronic keys and smartphone apps. The owner and renter do not even have to meet face-to-face.
Car Sharing offers the freedom of having a car available when needed without the hassle and cost of ownership. Studies have shown that car ownership encourages excessive driving while car share members only drive when it is necessary. Car sharing results in fewer cars on the road, less traffic congestion, and a cleaner environment.
Win-Win for Car Owners and Renters
Another Green Idea That's Kind to Your Wallet
What If You Didn't Own Your Car?
Is Your Car Collecting Dust? Rent it Out
New York City's First Agency Car-Sharing Program Begins
Spride - 3 Minute Interview with Founder Sunil Paul
Pioneering Car-Sharing Program in Texas Folds. Replaced by Car2go
Car Sharing by the People, for the People
Toronto, ON. 24/7 Convenience, Best Rates, Greenest Fleet. AutoShare members get convenient, self-serve, access to vehicles in their neighborhood and over 100 locations across Toronto.
Buffalo, NY. Buffalo CarShare provides affordable, community-based car sharing services.
Calgary's Carsharing Co-operative
Calgary, AB. Get 24-hour self-serve access to a fleet of clean, modern vehicles without all the hassles of ownership - for less than what most people pay for just insurance. Our vehicles are located around the downtown core and positioned near major LRT or bus routes or pathways (more are on the way).
Car Sharing Canada is a non-profit, industry effort to expand the availability of, and environmental benefits from, car sharing in Canada.
Aspen, CO. The average American uses his/her car for just one hour each day. But the costs to purchase, license, maintain and insure a car are the same regardless of how often it’s used. Car To Go is a better way!
Austin, TX. The future of urban mobility begins literally on every corner with car2go – where one of several car2go vehicles is waiting for you around the clock. Whether for a quick shopping trip or a drive out to the countryside, it’s up to you where you go. When you’re done, simply park the car back within the area of coverage and the car2go service team takes care of the rest. Refueling, cleaning, and all other services are all included in the affordable rental price
Burlington, VT. Enjoy the convenience and freedom of a car on demand at a fraction of the cost of owning one (or more than one). CarShare Vermont gives you easy access to a network of vehicles parked around town that you can use whenever you want for as long as you like. You pay based on how much you drive—this saves you money and helps the environment.
CarShareHFX is Halifax's first multi-vehicle Car Sharing network. We're dedicated to providing greater mobility and personal freedom to people living in Halifax and reducing carbon emissions. Our goal is to have a shared-vehicle within a 5 minute walk of anywhere in the city, at every MetroTransit bus terminal and the end of your street.
Carsharing Co-operative of Edmonton
The Carsharing Co-operative of Edmonton (CCE) is a member-run organization and has been in Edmonton since 2000.
San Francisco Bay Area. City CarShare is a Bay Area nonprofit on a mission to provide convenient, affordable access to cars so that we can reduce individual car dependence and improve the environment and quality of life in our cities. We continually strive to make our service so convenient, so reliable, and so affordable that people will prefer using our cars to owning their own.
Cleveland, OH. 24/7 self-serve driving freedom. Just like owning a car, only better.
Metro Vancouver, BC. The Co-operative Auto Network (The Car Co-op) is a local, not-for-profit co-operative incorporated to foster car sharing and raise awareness about the benefits of sharing cars over private ownership. The Car Co-op is an environmentally responsible and economically sound choice, meeting the mobility needs of thousands of people in British Columbia and beyond.
Gatineau, Quebec City, Montreal, Sherbrooke, QC. Communauto provides its members with exclusive access to its vehicles. By becoming a Communauto subscriber, you gain access to a fleet of cars that you can reserve at low cost for a half-hour, an hour, a day or longer. Located in the heart of your neighborhood, the cars are available without delay, 24/7.
Madison, WI. Community Car is carsharing organization that provides car by the hour for individuals, families and businesses. Members share access to a fleet of hybrid-electric and high gas mileage vehicles located in reserved parking spots throughout Madison.
Community Carshare of Bellingham
Bellingham, WA. Reserve vehicles by the hour or day on-line. Pick them up conveniently in downtown Bellingham. Prices include gas, insurance, and maintenance.
Information about carsharing in the Washington, D.C. area.
Connect by Hertz is a pay-as-you go car membership club, and it couldn't be simpler. It's all the perks of having a car, without owning one. Low hourly rates include fuel, insurance, in-car navigation and more. Plus, cars are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year!
Now through August 31, 2010, get a $75 driving credit and a free one-year membership. All you pay is the $25 application fee. Join the Connect Plan using Promotional Code ONLINE75 to take advantage of this offer. To learn more about Connect by Hertz and to join, visit connectbyhertz.com.
Syracuse, NY. CuseCar is a not-for-profit, community-based car-sharing organization whose mission is to provide a sustainable transportation program in Onondaga County.
This website is aimed at car sharing for and between families with school aged children. Whether you are looking to cut down consumption on the commute to school or to extracurriculars sign up for Divide the Ride to meet other families in your community. Join a community network where all families that are signed up are available so that every day can be with a different group!
Boulder/Denver, CO. eGo CarShare is a local non-profit carsharing organization, serving the Boulder-Denver metro area. Its mission is to provide and promote alternatives to individual car ownership,reducing the environmental and social impacts associated with motor vehicle use.
eRideShare is North America's leader for finding you a ride. Whether you are looking to carpool, run errands, or travel long distances eRideShare has a section for you. Simply go to the website and sign up to link into their database of members and begin splitting the costs of transportation while reducing emissions.
San Luis Obispo, CA. FunRide allows you to use a vehicle with no car payment, insurance payment, repair costs or fuel cost. FunRide vehicles are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The vehicles are parked at convenient locations called pods.
Grand River Carshare and Hamilton Carshare
Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge, Hamilton, ON. Grand River CarShare (GRCS) is incorporated as a not-for-profit carsharing co-operative. Our mission is to deliver a carsharing service and to promote carsharing as an important component of a transportation system that supports an alternative to the privately-owned automobile within the Region of Waterloo.
Guelph Community Car Co-operative
The Guelph Community Car Co-operative, a non-profit co-operative corporation, exists to provide cars for its members. The cars are reserved and members pay a charge per hour and kilometre.
Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN. HOURCAR provides all of the convenience of owning a car with none of the trouble. For just a few dollars an hour, you can reserve a car in seconds, drive it immediately, and let someone else worry about parking, maintenance, and insurance. HOURCAR is the smart way to drive. With 25 cars in Minneapolis and St. Paul, HOURCAR is convenient to many neighborhoods. Find out where your nearest HOURCAR lives, and sign up to drive today.
Chicago, IL. I-GO Car Sharing is the third-largest non-profit car sharing organization in North America, providing members with an economic and environmentally friendly transit solution. Individuals, families and businesses can sign up as members to access I-GO’s fleet located throughout the City of Chicago and its suburban areas.
An automotive and transportation academic think-tank site based out of the University of Berkeley. The Car sharing section includes oft-quoted reports and research that tracks and analyzes carsharing trends.
Ithaca, NY. Ithaca Carshare is a membership service offering 24/7 self-serve access to fuel efficient cars and a truck located in Ithaca, NY.
LAXCarshare is a minority, woman owned, private carsharing service, that was founded in July 2009. Dedicated to assisting with reducing traffic and parking related congestion, LAXCarShare encourages the use of all forms of alternative transportation options: walking, riding the bus, biking and now sharing cars.
New York, NY(Manhattan and Brooklyn). Mint, Cars On-Demand is New York City's fresh alternative to car ownership, 24-hour rental cars, taxis and public transportation. Our members have on demand access to vehicles 24/7 for as little as an hour or as much as several days. Each vehicle is equipped with state of the art amenities, an on-board customer service system and much more.
Missoula, MT. MUD’s (Missoula Urban Demonstration) Truck Share provides the Missoula community with a unique transportation alternatives. Use your bike, feet and small vehicles for regular travel in the city. Use our Toyota and Nissan trucks when you occasionally need a larger vehicle. MUD membership is required.
Serving Nelson, Kaslo, Fernie, Revelstoke, Kimberley and Golden BC.
Denver, CO. Owning a new car can cost you between $7,000 and $8,000/year. Take advantage of the affordable convenience of a carshare vehicle you can rent by the hour right in your Denver neighborhood. Save money while saving the environment.
Philadelphia, PA. PhillyCarShare is a non-profit organization that provides members with access to a fleet of vehicles on an hourly basis. Once you join the community you will get a personal key to hundreds of cars parked steps from your office and home. Affordable rates cover gas, major insurance,
and even your ride on SEPTA rail.
Bremerton, WA. The SCOOT Program encourages commuters who work in Kitsap County to use alternatives to driving to work alone.
Vancouver, BC. The Company Car is car sharing for business. In conjunction with the extensive Co-operative Auto Network (CAN) fleet – it is a great money and time-saving alternative to taxis, a car service, employee car reimbursement, or a company fleet.
Select locations: Berkeley, CA; Blacksburg, VA; Madison, WI; Portland, ME; Portland, OR and Weston, MA.
Greater Victoria Area, BC. The Victoria Car Share Co-op has been providing transportation alternatives to the Greater Victoria Area since 1997 as a proud part of the rapidly-growing worldwide Car Sharing movement. We have grown steadily as Victorians find that car sharing is a cost-effective way of adding to their transportation options.
Ottawa, ON. VRTUCAR Car Sharing was established in Ottawa in 2000, with one car and four members. Today, this thriving local business has grown into a reliable transportation network with over 80 fuel-efficient cars located in Ottawa and Gatineau.
WeCar is a membership-based car sharing program for people who are looking for an alternative method of transportation that lowers the cost and reduces the hassles of traditional transportation. Members simply hop online and reserve a car for as long or as short as they need. The low hourly rate normally includes gas and basic liability coverage. The WeCar fleet sits ready and waiting 24/7 at convenient locations in cities, at colleges and on corporate campuses.
Southern CA. ZEV·NET participants utilize zero-emission vehicles to drive from a rail station to their workplace. During the day, the vehicle is shared by other ZEV·NET participants for short trips. The car is then driven back to the rail station by the same or another user at the end of the day.
Serves over 50 U.S. cities.