Finding Car Sharing Options

June 5, 2011 By Leave a Comment
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With the rising price of transportation people have begun traveling economically. Everything from taking a bus to walking, riding a bike, or even car sharing. There are even people who are commuting economically just for the sake of the environment. The concept of the carbon footprint has had quite an impact on the way people travel. Here are a few tips on traveling economically and car sharing.

For those who do not like to use public transportation and travel further than walking distance, car sharing can be a great option. To find a good car sharing option you first must find people who are traveling in the same direction that you are. Co-workers will often carpool together to save money and to have company while having company.

If you can not find anyone who works with you to share a ride with there are other options. Often local classified websites will have a section for commuters. Often commuters will car share with people who work and/or live near their location. Other people may just find a friend or loved one who is either generous or nearby to make the daily commute with.

If you are unable to find either a friend, co-worker, or random chance encounter to help with your travel time you might still have options. Some major cities offer a car sharing program that you can register for at local government or supported business areas. This option will offer you less opportunity to chose someone who you get a long with well, but it can still reduce the cost of commute.

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Making Car Pooling Less Horrible

May 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment

One of the most common recommendations given to those looking for ways to reduce their fuel usage is to car pool. Car pooling can be a great opportunity to save money, but it can also make you too close to your coworkers. It does not have to be like that, though.

Tips to Get Started

Car pooling is the process of several coworkers going to work together, in the same vehicle, rather than driving separately to work. This is one of the most effective ways to reduce fuel consumption. Before you plan your car pool, consider these tips from SFCarShare.org.

  • Get to know those who you plan to car pool with beforehand and out of work. You should at least like them enough to spend rush hour traffic with them.
  • Invest in an MP3 player or other device to help keep you busy while on the road. Some headsets now have noise blocking features. This way, you do not have to listen to their music or conversation.
  • Choose a large enough vehicle. The more smashed in you feel, the more uncomfortable the trip will be. The person with the largest car may be best as a driver.
  • Talk about things you have in common, but not work. That way, you are less tempted to have a problem at the office later in the day.
  • Be friendly and positive. This is saving you money. If it does not work, do consider public transportation options.

Car pooling can be fun, if you choose the right people. However, it can be a challenge for many people doing it.

 

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Car Sharing is the new Public Transportation

January 15, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Car sharing is a new public business that allows people to use a car for a certain amount of time, and for a price. Usually prices include gas, insurance and maintenance and it all works out to a low daily/hourly rate.

The reason car sharing is so great and becoming so popular is because it enables a user to travel with all the convenience of having a car, without having a car. No parking fees, no washing it, no monthly payments, no licensing/tagging fees or taking it through DEQ. The car sharing company takes care of all that.

Car Sharing Goes With Walking, Cycling and Public Transit

They also make it so there are fewer cars on the road, cutting pollution and congestion. Who loves it when stopped on the freeway in a traffic jam at rush hour? Nobody. People want to get where they’re going and they want to go when they want to go. Hence, car sharing.

Stuck in pouring down rain waiting for the rain to stop before going out to the bus stop? Call a car sharing company and get some wheels that can be returned later, when all the errands are done.

Some people argue that it won’t take cars off the road, it’ll actually get people to drive more. That may be true, but the car sharing keeps someone from owning a car they can drive at will. The drivers will drive less frequently and drive shorter distances if they don’t have a car of their own, therefore reducing the number of cars on the road. Plus, by renting the cars by the hour, several people in a day can use one car, so one car does the driving of several cars.

To be really green, a person has to try not to drive at all, taking public transit, or by walking or bicycling. But for now, this works great.

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Car Sharing Committee Sets the Standards for Everyone Else

January 13, 2011 By Leave a Comment

People are going with more sustainable practices in all areas of business and every day living. Driving a car isn’t a very sustainable practice because of the fumes it puts into the air we breathe and the fossil fuels it needs to operate. Some are inventing cars that use new, sustainable fuels, like corn oil, but the use of a car for a single driver still isn’t a good practice, as far as lightening someone’s carbon footprint.

There’s a new, green alliance forming, made up of eighteen companies from all over the world (five of them are in Canada) who formed a committee to set the standards for companies who offer car-sharing. Newly formed, the CSA (Car Sharing Association) has a bent on responsibility, ethical practices, education and research that will guide drivers around the world.

Car Sharing Reduces the Carbon Footprint and Cars on the Road

Car sharing is a great way to reduce the huge numbers of cars sharing the road each day. Reducing the amount of cars using the roadways will give some relief to traffic congestion, which will reduce pollutants and help to lighten that carbon footprint. Car sharing should only be considered with choices like walking, public transportation and bicycling, to take the transportation reduction a little farther.

CEO of I-GO Car Sharing, Sharon Feigon looks at car sharing programs as something people should consider as a form of regular transit. Members of I-GO Car Sharing use the transportation as the last leg of their daily transit, using an important service to the public mobility options, hoping to create sustainable communities.

The shared cars are used by the hour at a price that is all-inclusive, with gas, maintenance, parking and insurance figured in. The CSA promotes close incorporation of information and shared services between all car sharing communities in hopes of better supporting sustainable transit and  providing research.

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The Financial Benefits of Car Pooling

December 5, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Most people spend up to 2 hours or more of their day commuting to and from work, so the decision to start car pooling very significant indeed. Consider that if you work 5 days a week, you will be spending about 10 hours a week in your car sharing group. If you are used to driving to work alone, then joining a car pool means giving up 10 hours a week of your privacy. Despite the loss of privacy, car pooling has many benefits, and I think you’ll agree that at the end of the day the financial benefits far outweigh the sacrifice of giving up your “alone time.”

The first and most obvious benefit to your pocketbook from car pooling is the lowering of your weekly fuel costs. Think about this: if you are in a ride share pool with 4 other people, then you will typically only be required to drive to work 1 day a week. This can reduce your fuel costs by up to 80%. When gas prices go back up again (and that’s already starting to happen), you will be thankful you made the decision to join a car pool just for the gas savings alone.

The other financial benefit to car sharing that’s closely related to fuel cost savings is the reduction of your automotive repair costs. With your vehicle on the road in the bumper to bumper traffic 80% less during the week, this will translate into far less visits to the repair shop. It is sometimes hard to quantify, but we all know that car repair bills can run up to several hundred or even several thousand dollars. Car sharing will help you put off these repairs and save you more money.
So how much money can you save from car pooling? Well, a typical person can save a several hundred dollars a year by car pooling, and in today’s economy, every dollar saved is important.

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