Car sharing grows.

• Author: Prugh, Tom
• Position: Membership fee and hourly rates - Brief Article

Car sharing in the United States and Canada appears to be growing rapidly as increasing numbers of people, especially those living in cities with good mass transit systems, seek ways to avoid the costs and hassles of owning a car.

Unlike the traditional car rental, car sharing generally involves an annual membership fee and hourly rates that include gas and insurance. Cars are stationed at numerous locations in city neighborhoods and are reserved online or by telephone. Customers access the keys and the car with keycards, and the charges are billed to their credit cards.

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Car sharing firms have operated in several Western European countries since the 1990s. The industry got a later start in North America, but car sharing companies--the best known are ZipCar and Flexcar--have set up in a number of North American cities, including Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Portland, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington, D.C., Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, and Vancouver, as well as in the...