Ithaca, NY – Faced with rising fuel prices, residents in this upstate New York city can rent a gas-efficient car by the hour through a new car sharing program designed as a model for other communities.
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Even before the program’s official debut, 60 people had joined Ithaca Carshare, said Jennifer Dotson, the program’s executive director.
“People are starting to feel the pinch … This can really help out a huge amount. It makes sense if we can share in the cost of operating these cars,” she said.
The nonprofit organization will give members self-service, 24-hour access to six new Nissan hatchbacks. It will soon offer a pickup truck as well, Dotson said.
Members can telephone or use an online reservation system to choose the vehicle they need at the time they need it. There’s never any paperwork.
Vehicles are located at several locations around town, mostly near bus stops.
Members pay an annual or monthly fee and then by the hour and mile for usage, which covers gas, insurance, cleaning, maintenance, and other vehicle ownership costs. Members are given key fobs that get them into the cars.
“People often don’t consider all the hidden costs of owning a vehicle,” said board member Marian Brown. Industry reports put the average cost of owning a car in the United States at about $650 a month, when the cost of fuel, insurance, upkeep, repairs and other payments are considered, Brown said.
That’s a cool idea! You’d save a lot of money on car costs.
Someone should do something like this in Brooklyn. I’d join
there already is something like this in manhattan, maybe in brooklyn too. I think it’s called ZipCar
seems to me, that in a place like nyc where parking is always an issue, it would make doubly sense.