Sharing Is Good: How to Save Money, Time and Resources Through Collaborative Consumption (22 page)

bership. There are a total of four different rate plans available to meet individual and corporate needs.

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What about safety?
An I-GO membership includes gas, premium insurance, maintenance, and 24-hour assistance. If you or

your organization is found to be at fault in an accident, there may be a $500 charge toward the policy’s deductible.

CityCarShare.org
— A local non-profit organization on a mission to improve the environment and quality of life in the Bay Area by promoting innovative mobility options. Founded in 2001, CityCarShare now enjoys tens of thousands of members, hundreds of fuel-efficient cars, and programs that give back (every dime) to local communities.

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Where is it offered?
The San Francisco Bay Area.

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Who can use it?
City Car Share offers a multitude of membership plans, including plans for individuals and households, businesses and organizations, universities and colleges, low-income members, government, and hospitals.

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Cost to join?
Individual and household plans start at $10 per month with a $30 application fee and a $5/hour driving charge.

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What about safety?
Membership plans include gas/electricity, maintenance, a $1 million insurance policy and roadside assistance.

Enterprise CarShare
— Formerly known as Philly CarShare, this Philadelphia-centric service was acquired by Enterprise and expanded nationwide. The service gives you access to cars by the hour, or overnight, whenever you need them. Once you become a member, choose from a fleet that includes hybrids and electric vehicles, parked in convenient locations in dozens of cities.

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Where is it offered?
USA, with most pick-up locations on or near college and university campuses.

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Who can use it?
Enterprise CarShare offers membership plans for individuals, businesses, government agencies, and students/faculty of various universities and colleges. It also offers eligibility to those who are 18 and up (see individual location pages for more details).

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Cost to join?
Fees vary by location. Most locations charge an application fee (between $20 and $40, and in most cases waived for

new applicants, an annual membership fee (between $20 and $40)

and then offer hourly, daily and overnight rates. Gas included.

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What about safety?
Membership includes fuel, damage/liability protection, parking and maintenance.

UCarShare.com
— Run by popular moving rental company, U-Haul, this service operates only on college campuses and is designed specifically for use by students and faculty.

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Where is it offered?
At about 40 different college and university campuses across the United States.

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Who can use it?
Drivers 18 and older who have been licensed for at least two years (Canadian drivers welcome). Memberships are

also available for families and businesses. Certain driving record restrictions apply.

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Cost to join?
Application fee of $25.00 Rates start at $4.95/hour and $0.49 per mile. Rates are capped at $8.50 in case you need to drive more miles. Daily rates start at $62.00/day with 180 miles

included.

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What about safety?
As required by law, state minimum financial responsibility is included with every reservation. You are responsible for the first $500 worth of damage done to a U Car Share

vehicle in the event of an accident. Every U Car Share member is

afforded a collision damage waiver as part of a valid membership.

Car2go.com
— Owned and operated by the Daimler auto com-

pany, this car-sharing program is specifically designed with the city dweller in mind. It’s all the A-to-B convenience of a taxicab without 134

Sharing is Good

the high costs and lack of control. Many electric vehicles included.

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Where is it offered?
Car2go started in Ulm, Germany in 2008.

Today, Car2go operates in Europe and in cities across the United

States, including Austin, San Diego, Portland, Washington, DC,

Miami, and Portland; in Canada they operate in Vancouver,

Calgary and Toronto.

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Who can use it?
Licensed drivers. Both individual and business memberships available.

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Cost to join?
All memberships require a one-time registration fee of $35. After that, there is a $0.38/minute fee with hourly and

daily caps.

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What about safety?
Basic memberships include comprehensive insurance with a deductible of $1,000 per occurrence.

LAXCarShare.com
— Members sign up for membership and agree to undergo the DMV screening process required to rent the cars.

Upon approval, members receive a key fob that will allow them to easily access LAX Car Share locations whenever they have reserved a car.

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Where is it offered?
Vehicles are available throughout LA County, downtown Los Angeles and Koreatown.

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Who can use it?
Any individual 21 or older, who has been licensed for at least one year, has no major violations, moving violations and/or DUIs within the last five years.

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Cost to join?
Membership is currently $25, and there is no application fee. A monthly access fee of $5/month is applied to all accounts. Hourly/daily driving fees also apply.

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What about safety?
Gas, insurance, and maintenance are included in membership fees. Deductibles of up to $1,000 apply, although

members can reduce their potential deductible by taking a driving test.

TimeCar.com
— A membership-based car-sharing service that provides 24/7 access to vehicles on an hourly and daily basis. Members What to Share

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reserve a car on the Web or over an automated phone system. You

unlock the car with a smartcard (a swiping device), drive where you want, and return the vehicle to its designated parking spot.

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Where is it offered?
Cars are located across Oklahoma and Texas.

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Who can use it?
Individuals who are at least 18 years old and able to legally drive in Oklahoma. Driving record restrictions apply.

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Cost to join?
TimeCar offers a variety of plans, all of which include a $25 application fee and hourly/daily driving rates. Some

value plans also include monthly fees.

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What about safety?
All TimeCar plans include gas, insurance, 24/7 roadside assistance, and 24-hour member care services.

Damage fees may apply if there’s an accident.

CarShare.org
— This regional non-profit provides access to a network of energy-efficient vehicles, allowing members to pay per trip without the commitment of owning a car. Vehicles are conveniently stationed, often near transit and bicycle facilities and are accessible to members with valid reservations 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

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Where is it offered?
eGo CarShare serves the Denver-Boulder metro area in Colorado.

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Who can use it?
Individuals with two years licensed driving experience. If you are between 18–21 years old you must have a clean

driving record. Business and university plans are also available.

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Cost to join?
There are several individual plans available, all of which require a one-time $25 application fee. Daily and hourly

rates apply, but can be reduced by paying a $10 monthly fee.

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What about safety?
All eGo vehicles are fully insured and have a $250 deductible. Higher deductibles may sometimes apply if the

driver is found to have violated terms of the coverage.

Communauto.com
— By becoming a Communauto subscriber,

you gain access to a fleet of cars that you can reserve at low cost for a half-hour, an hour, a day, or longer, according to your needs.

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Unlike other car-sharing services listed here, this company also offers a peer-to-peer car-sharing platform through which auto owners can safely share their own vehicles.

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Where is it offered?
Communauto vehicles are available in Montreal, Quebec City, Sherbrooke, and Gattineau/Ottawa, Canada.

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Who can use it?
Drivers over 21. Communauto offers membership plans for individuals, families, and businesses. Teen drivers can be included in family plans.

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Cost to join?
Membership requires a refundable membership fee of $500. This gives you access to all plans, benefits, and vehicles.

The non-member Le Lièvre package starts at $39 a year, and there

are several plans in between, depending on your driving habits.

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What about safety?
In the case of an accident, your liability is limited to the deductible you select upon signing the contract, i.e., $0, $250 or $500 per accident. Usually, no deductible is billed if you are not at fault for the accident.

P2P Car-sharing

RelayRides.com
— RelayRides, launched in June 2010, is the world’s first, and leading, peer-to-peer car-sharing marketplace.

RelayRides connects people who need a car with vehicle owners

whose rides would otherwise be sitting idle.

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Where is it offered?
RelayRides has members and car rentals available in every major city (and some non-major ones) across the US.

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Who can use it?
Renters must be 21 years of age, possess a current valid driver’s license, and a mobile phone. If you are under 25, you must demonstrate two years of current satisfactory driving

history. Those who wish to rent their vehicle must own a car cur-

rently registered in the United States that is model year 1990 or newer and has a fair market value of up to $50,000.

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Cost to join?
There is no cost to become a RelayRides member; however, there is a charge for each rental; the rate is decided solely What to Share

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by the owner. There are many cars available for as little as $5/

hour, $25/day, and $125 per week. Keep in mind that since this is P2P car-sharing, renters are responsible for gas.

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What about safety?
Liability is a big concern, especially for those who will be lending their vehicles to strangers. RelayRides provides owners with a $1 million insurance policy to protect against all damages, up to the full value of the car. For renters, RelayRides provides up to $300,000 in protection against physical damage

and liability. Additionally, the company screens each renter against strict eligibility criteria, and vehicle owners always have the final decision about who gets to rent their car.

Getaround.com
— This company provides a peer-to-peer car-sharing marketplace that enables car owners to rent their cars — from Priuses to Teslas — to a community of trusted drivers by the hour, day, or week, using only a smartphone.

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Where is it offered?
Currently, Getaround is active in five US cities: San Francisco, Austin, Portland, San Diego and Chicago.

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Who can use it?
In order to rent a vehicle through Getaround, you must be at least 19 and have a Facebook account. If you are

younger than 21, you must have a clean record. You must also

have more than two years of driving experience. Additionally, if

you have a US driver’s license, you are required to pass an instant driver record check the first time you rent. If you’d like to list your car on Getaround, it must be 1995 or newer, have less than

150,000 miles, and have an actual cash value of less than $50,000, among other restrictions.

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Cost to join?
There are no membership fees to join Getaround.

However, there are hourly/daily rates to rent a car, which are set by and paid to the vehicle owner.

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What about safety?
Getaround’s $1 million policy provides coverage for liability, collision, and theft for any incidents that occur during the rental. The Getaround insurance policy carries

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a $500 deductible per incident, for which the renter of the car is responsible.

Modo.coop
— Modo is a not-for-profit car-sharing cooperative incorporated in 1997 to foster car-sharing and raise awareness about the benefits of sharing cars over individual ownership. Today it enjoys over 8,000 members and has vehicles at over 200 locations in Metro Vancouver. Members have access to an annual transit pass —

encouraging more walking and cycling along the way.

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Where is it offered?
Vancouver.

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Who can use it?
Modo offers a variety of membership plans for both individuals and businesses.

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Cost to join?
The most minimal individual plan requires a $50

annual fee and $20 registration fee with $7.50/hr driving rates.

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What about safety?
A Modo membership includes the price of gas, parking, maintenance, cleaning, and up to $5 million in insurance.

AutoShare.com
— Toronto’s first (and most popular) car-sharing network. This 100 percent Canadian, locally owned company wants

to have a shared vehicle within a five-minute walk of anywhere in the city. AutoShare was launched in 1998 by a group of 16 pioneer-ing members who shared three cars in Riverdale, the Annex and St.

Lawrence neighbourhoods. It now boasts more than 12,000 members.

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Where is it offered?
Toronto, Canada.

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Who can use it?
AutoShare offers memberships for individuals (21 and up), families, and businesses.