What's car sharing all about?10 July 2013
Car sharing - touted as a way to clean up pollution and make roads safer. But how much mileage is there in the idea, asks Leo Hickman
In 1948 a community cooperative was formed in the Swiss city of Zurich.
Their idea: a motor car, which no one could afford, would be collectively purchased and shared. Sefage was the world's first car-sharing scheme.
In the decades since, car sharing has failed to dislodge private car ownership. But attitudes to car sharing are changing most notably in many of our leading cities.
People are seeing the financial and lifestyle - as well as environmental - benefits of not owning a car.
"Cities cannot and will not support one car per person," says Robin Chase, former head of Zipcar and founder of Buzzcar.
"The costs of driving in a city will increase. Drivers will be forced to consider the cost benefits of alternatives and the inconvenience of owning their own car."
Eric Britton, a sustainable transport consultant, agrees: "If you drive less than 10,000 miles a year you should really be car sharing."
Bid for a ride
There are three forms of car sharing:
- Informal car sharing
between friends, colleagues and family - Car clubs, such as Zipcar
Members hire cars parked close-by for short periods without the paperwork - Peer-to-peer car sharing such as Buzzcar
People "micro-rent" their own cars to other people.
Britton says you could also include lift-sharing. BlaBlaCar.com and Carpooling.com let passengers bid for a seat in other people's cars.
Such sites use eBay as inspiration and let users review each other to boost trust in the service. They are increasingly popular across Europe, most notably France and Germany.
"Support from local government is key for car sharing," says Britton. "There can be insurance problems in letting others use your car so local governments need to smooth over the problems."
But Britton believes this is fine-tuning. "The most important thing is not about car sharing, but the vision it provides about the way we live in cities in the future."
Car sharing a step to living cities
Robin Chase agrees that being smarter about how we use cars will help bring about more sustainable, liveable cities.
"In Paris, for a trip of 1km you walk, 3km you cycle and 4km or more you get the Metro. With children or for a shopping trip, you might use the Autolib' [an electric car-sharing service launched by the local government in 2011]. You will pick the mode that suits your trip, rather than always using a car."
There are some cities showing others how it can be done. In some Dutch towns they adopt an 8-80 policy to make cycling safe for all age groups.
In the Japanese city Nara you see women in their seventies cycling around for their food shopping. This is because lots of back streets are banned for cars.
"We have to imagine a world where it is safe for a six-year-old to get a bus to school. We must counter the fear of accidents and abductions. This will all help to encourage more car-sharing."
The key question, says Chase, is "Do I need a car to get to work?" Once people realise they can confidently answer "no" then car sharing will multiply.
In San Francisco during peak travel, 10% of the cars in circulation are believed to be shared. The environmental benefits are clear. Every shared car, says Chase, takes 15 cars off the road.
Those in the know make big savings
The challenge is education says Dr Susan Shaheen, the director of innovative mobility research at the University of California. And tackling the mindset that says owning your own car is best.
According to a study she co-authored in 2011, car-sharing households in the United States travel on average 43% fewer kilometres each year than a household that drives their own car.
The environmental implications - almost one ton fewer greenhouse gas emissions. But perhaps more significantly for most households, there are major financial savings.
"Car-sharing offers a cost-effective, convenient and maintenance-free alternative to car ownership," says Shaheen. The faster urbanites realise this, the faster their cities will improve.
What do you think?
Do you use a car-sharing scheme? Would you? Why? Discuss below...
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