|
Car Sharing home > environment > car sharing |
Car sharing is not car pooling – members book a car and use it for their own purposes. Depending on your needs, you can book a midsize car, a bright yellow VW Bug, a minivan, or a truck for those trips to IKEA. The majority of the cars are located in downtown Vancouver and Kitsilano. New cars are being added all the time as CAN works to make car sharing more accessible to residents of outlying municipalities.
If you’ve been working to reduce the number of car trips you make, car sharing may work for you! The financial benefits are a real plus. Members can forget about paying for gas, insurance and maintenance; that’s all taken care of by CAN. When you book a car, you pay an hourly fee and a per kilometre fee, as well as a monthly administrative fee. Because costs are shared between all CAN members, car sharing is much more economical than owning your own car.
Although saving money is a priority for me, the real reason I joined CAN was to reduce my impact on the earth. Vehicle emissions contribute to climate change, air pollution, and health problems. By reducing the car trips I take, I’m doing my part to combat climate change.
Despite the benefits of car sharing, this option is not for everyone. If you need a car to commute to work five days a week or you live outside of Vancouver, CAN may not work for you. Deciding to become a CAN member is a personal choice and you need to be committed to using your car less to have a successful car sharing experience.
If you’re interested and you’d like to learn more, take a look at CAN’s website at www.cooperativeauto.net or give them a call at (604) 685-1393.
