Calgary Car Share Cooperative - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

bizaro86 · 10-05-2011, 10:52 AM

Has anyone used this: http://calgarycarshare.ca/ on here? A coop that buys cars and members use them by the hour. With rates topping out at $7 per hour, that could be an economical alternative to a vehicle/second vehicle. How has it worked out for people?

I figure there's lots of latte-sipping inner city elitists here, so it's a good place to ask.

Ozy_Flame · 10-05-2011, 11:00 AM

Seems to be a growing trend in Vancouver and else where. Can't see why it wouldn't work here.

bizaro86 · 10-05-2011, 11:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

Seems to be a growing trend in Vancouver and else where. Can't see why it wouldn't work here.

According to their site they're up to 8 vehicles. I'm curious as to whether that's enough that availability is reasonable. Or alternatively, do they not get used enough to cover the costs. Seems like both would be deal breakers eventually.

But I can definitely see the pro. I'm part of a couple that has 1 vehicle, (I commute via transit). That's not a problem 99% of the time, but if I could rent a car by the hour in a convenient location I would do it a couple of times per month. Because I'd only use a second car very infrequently, it doesn't make sense for me to buy one.

I'd also be willing to buy a car and put it in something like relayrides, if it were available here, but no luck so far. Maybe there'll be a Canadian copy-cat open up. (Like all the groupon clones)

CaptainCrunch · 10-05-2011, 11:07 AM

Why would I do that when I can buy a car for under $300 dollars a month? Basically $300.00 per month is equivalent to 42 hours of drive time a month.

Plus with limited cars, what if I need to rush to a meeting or the doctor or my kids Piano recital and there are no cars available.

bizaro86 · 10-05-2011, 11:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

Why would I do that when I can buy a car for under $300 dollars a month? Basically $300.00 per month is equivalent to 42 hours of drive time a month.

Plus with limited cars, what if I need to rush to a meeting or the doctor or my kids Piano recital and there are no cars available.

$300 for the car plus insurance plus gas... (Both included in your fee)

If you're using that vehicle more than 30-40 hours a month I doubt it makes sense. I personally would be interested as it would prevent me from getting a second car.

I'm not sure about availability, I was hoping someone on here was a member and would know.

CaptainCrunch · 10-05-2011, 11:14 AM

I would need to be assured that they get rid of the damn hippy smell after every rental. I don't want to ride around in a car that smells like bong water and organic food.

pylon · 10-05-2011, 03:45 PM

Couldn't do it. Nobody farts on my seat but me. Just think every time you get in that car, some sweaty, foul, strangers crack could have been injected hot smelly, pooey sickness into a spot exactly exactly where your balls are sitting, literally minutes earlier.

Enjoy your car share!

bizaro86 · 10-05-2011, 03:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pylon

Couldn't do it. Nobody farts on my seat but me. Just think every time you get in that car, some sweaty, foul, strangers crack could have been injected hot smelly, pooey sickness into a spot exactly exactly where your balls are sitting, literally minutes earlier.

Enjoy your car share!

That doesn't sound very appetizing, maybe I should just go buy a new VW...

fundmark19 · 10-05-2011, 03:52 PM

Are you going to be driving the car without pants on? If not ur balls will never touch the nasty stinky spot

pylon · 10-05-2011, 03:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fundmark19

Are you going to be driving the car without pants on? If not ur balls will never touch the nasty stinky spot

If the seat was a little damp or sweaty, there could be poo sweat transfer to your clothes. Also if you were a little damp, you could pick up fecal material, like a damp rag picks up dirt.

Hey some people like strangers poo on them, I do not.

And yes... I do drive without pants on.

woob · 10-05-2011, 04:02 PM

Might not work for all people interested:

Quote:

There is an up-front, one-time $500 refundable deposit charged to all new CarSharing households ($1000 for business memberships). This goes into our operating pool and covers your deductible should you get into an accident. If you leave Calgary or leave CarShare, we will be sad to see you go, but will happily refund your deposit as long as your driving record with us has been clean.

Thrillingbroom · 10-05-2011, 04:05 PM

Why not just rent a car? I use Budget all the time over the weekends about once every month or two. Its only about $15/day, sometimes there's $10/day deal over the weekend. If you have a decent credit card, you're insured with it and as long as you get an economy car its about $5-10 in gas.

valo403 · 10-05-2011, 04:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thrillingbroom

Why not just rent a car? I use Budget all the time over the weekends about once every month or two. Its only about $15/day, sometimes there's $10/day deal over the weekend. If you have a decent credit card, you're insured with it and as long as you get an economy car its about $5-10 in gas.

Be careful with that, a lot of people think their cc covers them when in fact it covers very little and in some cases nothing.

I've used ZipCar on occasion and it's very convenient, but New York is sort of made for this type of thing. I'm not sure how easy it would be in Calgary if you have to travel any sort of distance to get to a car.

SebC · 10-05-2011, 06:58 PM

I've considered it, but I haven't bothered signing up yet because my need for a car is so low. But it doesn't top out at $7 per hour... you pay for mileage as well as the hourly rate, at $0.25/km.

Table 5 · 10-05-2011, 07:46 PM

Wait, Calgary doesnt have Zipcar yet? It might not be as useful for locals, but I find it a great alternative to renting when visiting or in town for short trips. The key for it to work though is that it has to be easy to access....you shouldnt need a car to get to your car.

Bunk · 10-05-2011, 08:57 PM

I don't know why people think car-sharing (basically just short-term car rentals) are some sort of hippie thing.

If you don't own a car, having easy access to car-share for the trips you do truly need a car can be great.

I didn't own a car in Toronto and used a car-share service every once in a while. Insurance and gas included and it was right around the corner from my house. Easy booking systems online.

The problem here is that we have relatively few people that don't own vehicles compared to much larger cities. Also, it requires fairly high population density to provide enough locations and users to make it convenient and therefore viable. Like Table5 said, it's got to be close at hand to make it worthwhile - not sure Calgary has the critical mass of dense urban area to make it work, but maybe.