Car Sharing

By Megan McLaughlin

If you live or work in a city, you may have heard about car shares. There are plenty of ways to save and this is definitely one of them. There are several car sharing groups across the country; from coast to coast and city to city, car sharing is becoming increasingly popular.

Have you thought about trying car sharing? Carsharing.net has some great information about car sharing; the positive effects and the facts. “Car Sharing provides flexible wheels for an urban lifestyle. It's instant-access to a network of cars throughout the city, 24 hours-a-day, and paying-per-trip, without commitment or inconvenience.” Car sharing is designed for people who live in cities that don’t want or need to own a car. It can actually be a burden to own a car in a city; limited parking and the cost of it and the traffic alone are good enough reasons to avoid it completely. “If you drive less than 12,000 km (7,500 miles) a year and you don't need a car for work every day, car sharing will likely save you thousands of dollars a year, give you greater mobility - and actually reduce pollution.” Check out Carsharing.net for reasons to try car sharing.

Philly Car Share, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is a non-profit organization, which caters to Philadelphia residents and businesses. At Philly Car Share, users don’t have to pay for the gas, just the rental; as low as $3.90 an hour or $39 a day. With Philly Car Share, you have access to Prius Hybrids, Mini Coopers, BMWs, pick ups, vans and more. Philly Car Share is a great alternative to owning a car in the busy city of Philadelphia.

ZipCar is another car sharing program that you will find in cities across the country. At ZipCar, their vision is, “providing reliable and convenient access to on-demand transportation, complementing other means of mobility.” From Miami to Phoenix, Vancouver and even Toronto, ZipCar provides access to Mini Coopers, VWs, cars that haul and more. ZipCar includes gas, insurance and even reserved parking.

As you can see, there are many advantages to car sharing. If you live in a city, there may be no better choice! If you own a business, try car sharing instead of owning company cars. Even if you don’t live in a city, check these places out; it’s interesting to see the many ways in which people and places are trying to be greener.