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) RACV Royal Auto - February 2007 30th January 2007If you need a car but don't want to own one, what about sharing one? Simon Mikedis reports on a scheme that can slash the costs to those willing to be flexible in their car usage. Owning a car (or two, three or more as the case may be for many Australian households) is a costly exercise – anywhere from around $100 a week for a small car to well over $300 per week for a large 4WD. For many trips, though, a car re-mains the best option, but there is an alternative to owning one, which fulfils motorists’ mobility needs, saves money and is beneficial to the environment – a phenom-enon known as car sharing. Pioneered in Switzerland in the1980s, car sharing was born out of problems associated with car-dependency and traffic congestion. Its success has been marked, with car sharing schemes now found in more than 600cities worldwide. Australia is a recent entrant into the car sharing stakes with two main players, GoGet and Flexicar, boasting more than 1000members in Melbourne and Sydney. There are plans to expand to other Australian cities and New Zealand. Car sharing is not car pooling, where you share a ride with others in your own vehicles. Rather car sharing is a variation of car rental, allowing scheme members to use a vehicle on a short-term basis for specific trips, rather than having to own a car outright. Cars are accessed at ‘pods’ – easy-to-reach neighbourhood locations such as strip shopping centres or railway stations. To use a car, a member books online or by phone then simply drives off at the required time, returning the vehicle to the pod once finished. Access and operation of the vehicle is keyless, using a member-provided smart card. The main prerequisites for member-ship are a valid driver licence and no major driving violations. On top of a joining fee of around $50,fees are based on a combination of hourly and per-kilometre rates but not – and this is where the savings kick in – the associated costs such as registration, insurance, fuel, servicing or garaging. These are shared across the membership. For the occasional driver or those considering a second or third vehicle, the benefits of car sharing schemes can be substantial – financially the savings can add up to hundreds of dollars a month! This is backed by RACV data. A Toyota Corolla hatch, for example, will cost more than $675 a month(insurance, registration, fuel, depreciation, parking in inner Melbourne and so on).A Smart hatch, on the other hand, will cost a Flexicar member $350amonth if driven 3-4 times a week or as little as $60 a month if you drive only once or twice a month. Cost comparisons with GoGet are similar. Supporters of car sharing also emphasise the environmental benefits. Every car share vehicle can mean up to seven private vehicles are removed from the road and, since overseas research suggests that most users re-duce their overall car usage, this may mean reduced traffic congestion and vehicle emissions. Research from Europe and the U.S.shows that car sharing alters the habits of motorists to the ex-tent that over 66% of users decide against buying another car and most will also reduce their overall car usage. What is also significant is that a carshare fleet is made up of new, fuel efficient vehicles. Flexicar uses Mercedes-engineered Smart ForFours and ForTwos – they get a ‘4-star-plus’ rating in the government Green Vehicle Guide – while GoGet uses the efficient Toyota Yaris and Corolla. Both companies plan to use other green vehicles. Experience has also found that carsharing members tend to walk, cycle and use public transport more than car owners. A significant financial endorsement to car sharing by the Victorian Government through a Green-house Strategy grant and Sustainability Fund grant will help car share providers improve their coverage as well as encouraging users to share transport modes such as integrating their fleet into the upcoming Victorian public transport smart card system. Ultimately, members may be able to use a single swipe card to access trains, buses, trams and car share vehicles. So, is car sharing for you? If you are an urban dweller, your car spends long periods sitting unused, or you find there are times when an extra car would be handy, then it could be! And if owning one or more cars is cost-prohibitive and public transport, cycling or taxis don’t completely fulfill your mobility needs, then joining a car sharing scheme becomes even more compelling. Of course, the icing on the (carsharing) cake is that you’ll be doing your community and the environment a favour by helping to reduce traffic congestion and emissions. Simon Mikedis is RACV’s environmental programs officer. Common search term variations: Flexi car, car-share, carshare, Flexi-car, Car Share, carsharing, car sharing... |
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