One Car, Many Drivers

Innovative systems that provide for the use of a car without the burden of ownership have been working well in Europe for over 10 years. They are now finding their way to the US, including the Bay Area.

One concept, called car-sharing, is neighborhood based. Members have access on an as-need basis to vehicles stored within walking distance; this works best in compact neighborhoods. The first one in the US is CarSharing Portland, located near downtown Portland. After an initial application fee and a refundable deposit, members pay by the hour and per mile. Insurance, maintenance and even gas is covered. Started by an entrepreneur, David Brook, it presently possesses nine cars and one pickup truck for about 175 customers. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality provided a $30,000 start-up grant.

The City of Seattle and King County Metro are preparing to launch an even more ambitious plan through a private/public partnership. They expect to begin in the fall with 10 vehicles in four contiguous neighborhoods, and increase to 200 vehicles and 3,000 users in 2 years.

A group of activists in San Francisco is organizing a similar concept called City CarShare. They have concluded that some public sector participation is necessary and are seeking city funding for a 3-year pilot project.

Another concept, the station-car concept, is linked to transit use. Participants can use cars located at transit stations to get to a job; in the evening, another commuter can drive a car home from the station and return it in the morning.

One such pilot program called CarLink is currently functioning at the Dublin/Pleasanton BART station. Susan Shaheen, a doctoral candidate in ecology at the University of California, Davis is the researcher in charge. The project is a cooperative effort between UC Davis' Institute of Transportation Studies, BART, Caltrans, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and the American Honda Motor Co. BART, which has been working on the station car concept since 1991, will next partner with Hertz at their Fremont station.

The CarSharing Network: http://www.carsharing.net/

CarShare Portland: (503) 872-9882; http://www.carsharing-pdx.com/

Seattle Car Sharing Project: (206) 624-7717; http://transit.metrokc.gov/travel_options/carshare.html

City CarShare: (415) 255-2530; http://www.sfcarshare.org/

CarLink Information Line: (530) 752-1934; http://www.engr.ucdavis.edu/~its/intelltransp.html