The Virtual Car...

05/10/08 07:11

You must own a car. NOT... Car Share programs in 50 cities in the U.S. and over 100 worldwide is growing 50% per year.

Cool cars (MINI, BMW, Prius) and more convenient & cheaper for urbanites that don’t commute daily by car these programs have taken over 50,000 cars off our streets. Do the math - a typical car (Chevy Impala, Honda CR-V) costs over $9,000 per year. Do the math...

Car payment (including depreciation) $284
Finance charges $62
Insurance $80
Gas $78
License, registration, taxes $45
Maintenance and tires $46
Parking (urban) $175
Total: $770 / mo*

Quiet Revolution: After starting in Switzerland in 1987, a quiet revolution is starting to happen in more than 100 cities worldwide. More and more, people are turning in their cars and opting for car sharing program. You might have seen these shared cars with the ZipCar or City CarShare logos

Car sharing is growing over 50% per year today as of January this year, there are approximately 50,000 fewer vehicles congesting our roads and environment, with over 200,000 people sharing roughly 5,000 cars.

Cool Cars: BMWs, Prius, Volvo, Pickups, MINI convertibles, vans, and pickups.

How it works: Reserve the vehicle you want - by phone or Internet (you can often see them on a map), 24-hours-a-day - that best suits your needs - BMW to van, and use it for a few hours, or a week. Pay per trip (typically $5 - 8 per hour), and never have to pay for repairs, insurance, gas, or monthly parking again.

Good for You...
- Cheaper than owning a car if you drive less than 10,000 miles per year.
- Eliminates car payments, maintenance, insurance, and best of all, you don't have to shell out for ghastly gasoline prices; it's included! (AAA finds the typical medium size car costs around 60 cents per mile to operate.)
- Encourages you to chose healthier alternatives for transportation such as biking or walking
- Get to drive new and different models each time

Good for the Environment...
- Reduces energy inefficiencies by encouraging you to combine trips & plan routes since you are paying by the hour
- Typically takes 6 cars off the road (and parking) per share car
- Typical share-car drivers reduce their driving 50%
- Less greenhouse gas emissions and particluates due to the phase out of older cars in exchange for more stringent pollution controls
- Preserves more green spaces because fewer parking spaces are required for the same number of people

Find a share car near you here.

ReferencesAutomobile, Transportation