What is a Car Sharing Co-operative?

Car sharing operations have developed over the last twenty years to provide low cost access to automobiles while at the same time allowing individuals to reduce their impact on the environment and strengthen their ties to the local community. Although car sharing operations can be organised in many forms it is my belief that it is only when it is organised in the form of a co-operative that all of its benefits are maximised. Car sharing co-operatives are a form of organising people together to pool their resources to purchase and maintain enough automobiles in order to meet all members' automobile access needs.

Simply put, car sharing is the shared ownership of vehicles. It is a way of having the benefit of access to a car without the hassles and costs usually associated with owning a car. Each car sharing co-operative has a unique form of management, but generally they all follow a basic formula of operation. A group of people join together with the common desire to have intermittent access to a car. They all pay a certain sum of money to join the co-operative; usually it is between $400 and $500 dollars. That money goes towards maintenance, insurance, and parking fees associated with driving a car. Once a member of the co-operative, one has unlimited access to the vehicles. The vehicles are usually parked in designated lots around the city and have ignition keys in lock boxes with the car. In order to use one of the vehicles, members call a central booking line and reserve a car for the desired date and time. They then go to the location where the car is parked, used the car for the amount of time that they have booked it, and then return the car to the same location. When they return the car to the lot, they fill out a trip log and are billed later for the small amount of money associated with time and mileage. Members are billed monthly for time, kilometres, and administration costs associated with using the vehicles. Rates for time and kilometres vary with different co-operatives, as do the various administrative costs. It has been estimated that "if you drive less than 12,000 km per year and you don't need a car for work every day, car sharing will likely save you money, give you great mobility -- and actually reduce pollution" (Car Sharing, 2000). Car sharing allows for many people to have access to a small number of cars. It cuts down of the amount of driving that individuals do, and it promotes co-operation within a community.