Carsharing
Want to run errands at lunch? Have a business meeting? Spouse has the car for the day? Try carsharing.
A carsharing membership is a great resource for people who occasionally need a car but don't want the expense and/or trouble of car ownership. Carsharing programs provide access to a fleet of vehicles for short term use (priced by the hour or even minute), located conveniently throughout the community and with most if not all costs (gas, insurance, etc.) bundled into the rate. In essence, carsharing transforms the automobile from a product with high fixed costs into a service with costs on a time or mileage basis. When used in conjunction with public transportation, walking or bicycling, carsharing can reduce or eliminate the need to own a personal vehicle. For families, carsharing can postpone or eliminate the need to buy a second car. For businesses, participation in a carsharing program can reduce or eliminate the need to store and maintain company cars, or to require employees to bring their personal cars to work.
Carsharing Benefits
Some important benefits of carsharing include:
Lower demand for parking. Surveys consistently report that each carsharing vehicle replaces as many as seven or more private cars, as members sell or scrap their cars, or avoid buying new ones. When fewer cars need to be parked, it makes parking easier for cars that still do.
Fewer miles driven and emissions produced. While surveys suggest that carshare members are often infrequent car users to begin with (taking advantage of other transportation options available in urban areas), once people start carsharing they report driving less. Carshare vehicles also tend to be newer and more fuel efficient than the household cars they replace, which means fewer emissions produced for each mile driven.
Lower transportation costs. For people who drive infrequently, the fixed costs of car ownership are a majority of the costs associated with driving. By switching from personal car ownership to carsharing membership, these infrequent drivers could save hundreds or even thousands of dollars a year.
Personal non-monetary benefits of carsharing include:
- New vehicles (reliability and comfort)
- No maintenance or repair responsibilities
- Vehicles always clean
- Different vehicles for different purposes (whereas private owners have the same car all the time)
- Convenient locations where people live and work
- Guaranteed parking space (*not all business models)
Carsharing Service Providers
There are several business and organizational models that underpin carsharing services in the U.S. today: for-profit entities (majority of what you see in the DC metro area), non-profit entities, cooperatives, and government-run services are some of those models.
Car2Go - Car2Go has a fleet of blue and white Smart Fortwo vehicles located all over Washington, DC. There are no designated stations or parking spaces. Members locate cars with a web or smartphone app and use their member card to get in. Members are billed for minutes used, with no set return time. At the end of the trip, members can park almost anywhere in DC, and within this “home area” you do not pay to park.
Hertz On Demand - Hertz On Demand is a self-service car rental program, offering members 24/7 vehicle access to a variety of cars in locations in DC and a few in Virginia and Maryland. Rental is by the hour or by the day, and there are no membership, enrollment, or annual fees.
Zipcar - Hundreds of Zipcars are parked in convenient locations throughout the region. Members reserve a nearby car online or by phone, then use an electronic membership card to unlock the car. The rental period can be as little as one hour. Members return the car to the same reserved parking spot where they picked it up. Zipcar members can also use their membership in the many other cities in the U.S. and abroad that Zipcar serves.
Peer-to-Peer Carsharing
Peer-to-peer carsharing programs provide a means for car owners to rent out otherwise underutilized personal vehicles. These programs typically screen would-be drivers and provide insurance for the car owners in the event that their car is involved in an accident while being used by a carsharing member. Examples of existing peer-to-peer networks include:
Getaround - Rent a car from someone nearby.
Relay Rides - Rent cars from people near you.
Carsharing Resources
Arlington's Car-Free Diet Carsharing page
Arlington Transportation Partners Car Sharing page
Mobility Lab Carsharing page – Research related to Carsharing
Commuter Connections 2008 Carshare Survey Report
(PDF, 1.2 MB, Adobe Reader required.)
Nicholas Ramfos and Lori Diggins, January 27, 2009, Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments
This report presents the results of the regional Carshare Survey conducted for the Commuter Connections program administered by the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board (TPB) at the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG).
Offer Travel Options for Every Trip — Give Everyone Choices
Howard Jennings, February 1, 2007, Mobility Lab
Surveys show that the option of carsharing motivates commuters to use transit more often (40% to 54% agree), helps commuters save money on transportation (62% to 70% agree), and motivates them to walk more often (37% to 54% agree).