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| Organized
car sharing is a concept whose time has arrived. Basically it involves
a group of people who collectively own or lease one or more cars and share
both the use of those cars and the expense of owning them. By increasing
the number of participants the cost of ownership can be greatly reduced
while still allowing the individual members convenient access to a car
or truck when they need it. Typically the cost per member is calculated
based on usage so that those that use the system more pay more.
For example, a group may have the following policy. Each member pays a one time refundable $300 deposit and then a $10 monthly membership fee. Use of a car costs $2 per hour and 45 cents per mile. That includes gasoline, insurance, maintenance, and all other ownership related costs. Clearly this can translate to a significant savings versus owning your own car or daily car rentals from a rental company. Car sharing organizations come in several flavors including non-profit organizations, for-profit companies, and more informal groups. Currently there are about 200 groups around the world with sizes from 20 members to tens of thousands of members. To find more basic information, lists of existing groups, or information and advice about forming a new group, a good place to start is the international car sharing consortium web site at: EcoPlan.Org  View the U-Reserve-It.Com Car-Share Services press release in Acrobat format: Press Release. 
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