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| Thestar.com
> Weekly
> Wheels |
| May. 5, 2001. 01:06 AM |
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Car-sharing
plan works for city-dwellers |
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Clients find
it worry-free and a whole lot cheaper |
Brian
Dexter
TORONTO STAR |
Peter Shepherd is all smiles when he zips
around Toronto in a 2000 Toyota Corolla.
He has no capital or monthly purchase outlay for the vehicle,
isn't responsible for repairs, pays no car insurance, doesn't pay
for gas, and, if someone steals the vehicle, it's not his problem.
The self-employed carpenter is one of nearly 400 citizens who
have signed up with Toronto-based AutoShare, a program that cuts
personal transportation costs and helps the environment.
Since its inception almost two years ago, AutoShare has grown
to a fleet of 27 vehicles (Corollas and Ford Escort station wagons)
in Toronto.
Its managers say soaring gasoline prices have helped to spark
more consumer interest in the operation.
Shepherd, 43, and his wife, Alex Wellington, a professor at
Ryerson Polytechnic University, typically use an AutoShare vehicle
three or four times a week.
They live in the Bloor St. and Ossington Ave. area and find
that having relatively easy access to a shared car is practical and
sufficient for their lifestyle.
"The system works just great for us," says Shepherd. "When we
need a car, we tend to bundle trips and we try not to give in to
temptation to get a car for non-essential journeys.''
Conrad Wagner is credited with starting the world's first
successful car-sharing program in Lucerne, Switzerland, in 1987.
Such arrangements have spread to many other cities in Europe,
Asia and North America, including Seattle and Boston in the U.S.,
and Vancouver, Victoria, Ottawa, Kitchener, MontrŽal and QuŽbec City
in Canada.
To become an AutoShare member in Toronto, you pay a $20
application and processing fee, put down a $500 refundable
membership deposit, make a $10 key deposit and choose from two price
plans.
You get 24-hour access to cars parked at lots around Toronto
and pay a $1 fee for each phone reservation.
Members have 24-hour
access to autos parked in lots around Toronto
| Then, with a $10 to $20 a
month access fee, you're charged 25 cents to 33 cents a kilometre
and $2.50 to $3.50 an hour for vehicle use under a "normal trip
rate" schedule, depending on whether journeys are on weekdays or
weekends.
AutoShare includes gas costs in the fee structure. There are
no hourly fees between midnight and about 6 a.m. It also offers a
10-hour workday rate and a long-weekend rate. The membership fee for
couples and families is $750.
Shepherd says a typical trip for him is about 15 km. The
AutoShare ``station" nearest to his home has two cars available and
is about a four-minute walk. To transport work-related materials to
job sites, he sometimes straps them to the Toyota's roof on top of a
foam mattress.
Because of living downtown, he's ruled out owning a car for
cost and environmental reasons. However, having access to one has
become increasingly essential, since he has worked on his own as a
carpenter for the past three years.
"There's no doubt that I'm saving lots compared with owning a
car. For example, a friend bought a 10-year-old minivan and puts its
overall running cost at 95 cents a kilometre.''
It costs at least $9,655 a year to own and keep a car on the
road in Toronto, according to Runzheimer Canada. As well, the
average driver in Canada clocks up 17,000 km a year.
AutoShare says its members usually pay less than $1,000 a
year for the service.
Kevin McLaughlin, a partner in AutoShare, with administration
offices on Mercer St., in the King St. and Spadina Ave. area, says
users get billed at the end of each month, and members are from a
wide cross-section of the community.
The service is really for people who use transit, walking or
cycling as their transportation most of the time, he adds.
"We have families using us for their first or second car,
older folks who have moved into a condominium, lots of musicians,
journalists and artists, people who work at home and people who run
cleaning businesses.
"The average age of members is in the late 30s, and the
average trip about 4.5 hours and around 30 to 35 km. Our busiest
times are Saturdays and Sundays."
Margaret Dougherty, 45, who works in corporate communications
for the City of Toronto, is another enthusiastic user of AutoShare.
She joined in October, 1998. She lives in the Avenue Rd.-Davenport
Rd. area and has never owned a car, since she could never justify
the expense.
She knows she's saving money under the car-sharing program.
"It allows me to get a car when I want it. I use it primarily for
shopping, errands and visiting friends. My furthest trip was to
Pefferlaw on Lake Simcoe.''
She adds, "My monthly bill is usually between $35 and $50.
It's good to have an alternative to the TTC and GO Transit. Yet, I
can usually choose to drive at off-peak periods, not when it's a
disaster to get around.''
Dougherty has access to four cars within walking distance of
her apartment. Rules for their use include keeping the gas tank half
full and getting a dirty car washed.
"You get receipts for your gas and the wash and send them in
to AutoShare with your trip log. You get reimbursed, and I've never
had a problem.''
Liz Reynolds, a partner in AutoShare with McLaughlin, says
many people find that owning a car in the city just isn't worth the
trouble, especially if you live downtown.
"There's often no place to park, and even street parking with
a permit is a hassle. You are not guaranteed a spot in front of your
house or even on your block.''
She says Toronto is being planned so that parking in some
locations will be even more limited, and that buyers of new
condominium developments downtown are helping to boost membership in
AutoShare.
The company generally places its cars at Toronto Parking
Authority lots and tries to use those near subway stations. Most
members of AutoShare live south of Eglinton Ave., between the Humber
River and the Beaches.
AutoShare finds that after its members have been using the
service for about a year, their total driving time drops by about 50
per cent, yet members still have easy access to a car.
Car sharing is gaining popularity in Europe. Switzerland has
a national network in which 30,000 members have access to 1,300
vehicles in 600 locations.
In Britain, it's estimated that every vehicle in a sharing
scheme, such as those in Oxford and Edinburgh, replaces four cars on
the road.
The Edinburgh venture is run by the Budget car-rental firm,
which uses high-tech satellite technology to keep track of the
vehicles. Each driver has a personalized key ring that triggers a
meter in the car so there's no argument about mileage charges.
The U.S. has one car for every two people, yet the average
vehicle sits idle for more than 20 hours a day, statistics show. In
Switzerland, officials with the Lucerne-based Mobility CarSharing
estimate that anyone who drives fewer than 11,000 km a year saves
money by joining its program.
To contact AutoShare in Toronto, call 416-340-7888 or visit
its Web site at http://www.autoshare.com./?GXHC_gx_session_id_FutureTenseContentServer=2d3bc6d6910f7ab2 |
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