Car Sharing Comes to Austin
Austin recently became part of a growing international movement to ease traffic and improve air quality: car sharing. Car sharing provides flexible access to a car for urban dwellers who don’t want the cost and commitment of car ownership. In late October 2006, the non-profit organization Austin CarShare put a small fleet of energy-efficient vehicles on Austin streets, parked in strategic locations downtown and near the UT campus. CarShare members reserve cars online as needed and access the cars using an electric key card.
The CarShare fleet includes four-door Scion Xa’s and Toyota Tacoma pickups. Members on the frequent user plan pay $4 per hour of use and $0.44 per mile, capped at $48 per day (with a special night owl rate of $2 per hour between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m.). These rates include gas, insurance, maintenance, and cleaning. If you drive less than 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 and actually reduce pollution.
Austin CarShare has also arranged for these benefits:
- Free parking at City of Austin meters
- Dedicated parking spaces downtown and near campus
- Discounts on rental cars through Avis and Hertz
- A cooperative arrangement with other CarShare operations in the U.S., such as the well-established San Francisco's City CarShare
Recent research indicates that members of car sharing organizations tend to drive less and use public transportation more often. Access to a car sharing network also increases the likelihood that they opt out of owning a vehicle. “As a result, car sharing can have a significant impact on energy consumption, automobile emissions and traffic congestion.” (Public Policy Research, accessed January 8, 2007)
The car sharing concept became reality in 1987 in Switzerland and then developed in Germany in 1988; since then, car sharing has become increasingly popular throughout Europe. As of June 2006, 17 car sharing programs were operating in the U.S., with 101,993 members sharing 2,558 vehicles.