| CAR SHARING
Carsharing is a model of car rental where people rent cars for short
periods of time, usually by the hour. People, often in close proximity
to one another, can join a car-sharing organization, which provides
access to a car without the burden of ownership.The organization renting
the cars may be a commercial business or the users may be organized as a
democratically-controlled company, public agency, cooperative, ad hoc
grouping. Since Car-sharing shifts the majority of costs of car
transportation from the fixed capital costs of ownership to the
flexible, variable costs of each trip, proponents of car sharing state
that it is the missing
link towards an ecologically sustainable transportation system, giving
transit users the flexibility and mobility that transit is sometimes
unable to provide.
Project Description
The focus of this research has been on the development and evaluation of
the major carsharing organization in the Twin Cities, HOURCAR. Research to date has included an assessment
of ideal areas for carsharing hubs in the Twin Cities, a proposal for
carsharing to benefit low-income users, and an evaluation of the travel
behavior and car-ownership impacts of car-sharing on HOURCAR members.
Major Accomplishments
History
Our Carsharing research began as part of an in-kind match from the
Minnesota Department of Transportation to a grant to investigate the
potential for starting carsharing in the Twin Cities. As HOURCAR
started up and grew, it has been a valuable research partner in our efforts.
Contact
Frank Douma, 612-626-9946, douma002@umn.edu
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