Austin CarShare

Austin CarShare is a non-profit organization that has made Austin the first city in Texas with carsharing services. Austin CarShare hopes to imporve Austin's quality of life by reducing emissions, reducing the number of cars on the street, increasing access to transportation options, and returning money to the community.

Description:
CarShare provides the convenience of a car without the hassle and expense of ownership. Whether you are a student without a car or a one-car family that needs an occasional extra set of wheels, Austin CarShare will hve a car or truck so you can shop, go to the doctor, or spend the night out on the town.

The impact of each CarShare vehicle is significant for both the environment and the member. 12 fewer cars are on the road. 4,000 gallons of gas are saved per year. 21,000 fewer pounds of carbon dioxide is produced. There is a 25% increase in transit usage among members.

An average member saves $6,500 per year versus owning a car. When comparing the average monthly costs between car ownership and carsharing based on average fuel, maintenance, financing, insurance, ,taxes, fees, and depreciation, car ownership has $583 of monthly expenses compared to carsharing's average of $55 of monthly expenses.

CarSharing is an easy three step process:

1. Reserve the car you want online or by phone
   
   
2. Unlock the car you reserved with your personal electronic key
   
   
3. Drive and return the car when your reservation is over
   
   



History:
Although more than 20 North American cities have carsharing, Austin is the first city in Texas to implement the idea. We currently have 5 cars in our fleet and we are currently implementing at least two new cars to neighborhoods around Austin.


Contact people:


Aaron Goetz, Director, Community Outreach, (713) 515-1463, (email) Brandi Clark, Board President, (512) 939-9776, (email)

Address:


611 South Congress Suite 200 Austin, TX 78704 (See a map)


Web Site: http://www.austincarshare.org

Directions:

Nearest Bus Stop: Across the street, 1 minute walk For maps or information, please see http://www.capmetro.org/riding/trip_info.asp

Last updated on December 4, 2008