About Carsharing
From humble European beginnings over twenty years ago, car sharing has become a fast-growing global movement. Car sharing organizations (CSOs) owe their popularity to the convenience and financial benefits they offer individuals and households needing only occasional access to a vehicle, as well as to the multiple environmental and community benefits they provide.
Car shares offer flexible access to a vehicle for people who:
- Are concerned about the environmental impacts of vehicles and are actively seeking ways to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and ecological footprint;
- Would like to save a significant portion of the $10,700 a year it costs the average Canadian household to own and operate a vehicle*;
- Occasionally need different types of vehicles for different types of tasks; and
- Embrace the spirit of co-ownership.
Unlike car rental agencies, the cooperative structure of car sharing allows members to become part owners of a multipurpose fleet of vehicles that they can reserve and use on an as-needed basis. As such, the cooperative is governed by a board of directors, and run democratically with each member having equal voting rights at the cooperative’s Annual General Meetings.
The model provides the benefits of private vehicle ownership while diffusing ownership and operating costs and tasks. Combined with other sustainable transportation modes – biking, bussing and ridesharing – car shares add to a range of possibilities, enabling members to choose the optimal form of transportation for a given situation.
The benefits of car sharing are far reaching, ranging from financial rewards for individual members to environmental benefits that are global in scope. Individuals, especially those in lower income brackets, benefit from new opportunities to save the time and money associated with owning and maintaining a vehicle. Communities benefit from improved air quality along with increased transportation options and improved mobility for residents. Reduced automobile usage can reduce greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to pressing global issues such as climate change and global warming.
* Taken from the Canadian Automobile Association’s 2009 Driving Costs brochure.
Carsharing Success
Car sharing is attracting increasing numbers of members worldwide and is on the rise in North America...for some good reasons!
Carsharing in Canada
Canada has more than 67,000 members in the car sharing movement...
