Car Sharing is a model of car rental where people use 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, or 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 users the flexibility and mobility that transit is sometimes unable to provide.
The focus of this research has been on the development and evaluation of the major car sharing organization in the Twin Cities, HOURCAR. Research to date has included an assessment of ideal areas for car sharing hubs in the Twin Cities, a proposal for car sharing to benefit low-income users, and an evaluation of the travel
behavior and car ownership impacts of car sharing on HOURCAR members.
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