We’ve all heard of car pooling which has been around for years, sharing car trips so that more than one person travels in a car. With our ever changing world, our personalized needs, financial limitations and concern for the environment, new ideas are coming up in the area of transportation and how we get around.

Car

Car sharing is one of the new revolutions in personal transportation. Car sharing is a type of car rental service where you can rent a car for a short period of time, even as little as a few hours. It gives you the advantage of having a car to use without having to take care of all of the details of being the owner. This makes it very attractive for those who only use a vehicle occasionally or those who may need to use different types of vehicles. In general, the way it works is that once you enroll and sign up as a member you can reserve and use one of the cars available at any hour of the day. There are many car sharing companies available in the main cites of the US, Europe and Australia, with new ones popping up as we speak.

With the ups and downs the economy has faced in the past few years, we’ve all felt the effects in one way or another and have had to evaluate and adjust our budgets accordingly. One of the main advantages of car sharing is in the money it saves. While owning a private car is very convenient, it comes with quite a few added costs such as gasoline, monthly payments, oil changes, maintenance and upkeep, parking and insurance, among others. Recent studies from the AAA (American Automobile Association) have revealed that on average it costs $8,000 a year to own a vehicle. Quite a figure to look at! Owning and maintaining a car is costly. Through car sharing, these costs are spread out so that you don’t have to carry the full burden of the expenses. Car sharing members report savings of up to $4,000 a year. Now that’s quite a number to look at and I’m sure you can think of a lot of things you could use that money for!

Another benefit of car sharing is the positive effects it has on our environment and the world around us. We all dream of a world with less traffic and cleaner air, a better world to pass on to future generations. Those who provide and participate is car sharing programs worldwide are dedicated to making an impact and helping the environment. In cities across the world, car sharing is taking cars off the road and reducing emissions. It also encourages the use of other forms of transportation such as walking, cycling and the use of other types of public transportation. Research has reported that one car share vehicle, used effectively, can replace anywhere from 5 to 20 vehicles. Car sharing affects other areas that have a positive impact on the world around us, such as: fewer cars manufactured, less parking requirements, less emissions, less public costs in the way of parking, infrastructure and enforcement, healthier and safer communities, fewer accidents and less insurance expenses.

For more information on some of the car sharing companies available, how it works and what they have to offer please see:

http://victoriacarshare.ca/drupal-6.2/

http://www.carsharing.net/

http://www.zipcar.com/