Ditching The Car, Finding Wheel Deals

(CBS)  Last month, the Richardsons in Northwest Philadelphia decided to say goodbye to an old family friend: their 2001 Buick Sentry.

It was just getting too expensive, CBS News transportation and consumer safety correspondent Nancy Cordes reports.

"We're probably saving $3- to $400 a month," Andrew Richardson said. "Easily."

"Do you miss your car?" Cordes asked.

"I do not," he said.

They still have wheels - they just have to share them.

For $15 a month, and $4 an hour, Andrew and Jessica Richardson can reserve a car at any one of Philly Car Share's 250 "car pods." Gas is included.

One swipe of a key fob, and away they go. In this case, to the grocery store.

"It does take more planning, but it's not difficult," Andrew said. "You just spend your time better, you're more efficient with your day."

With gas pushing $4.10 a gallon, a full fifth of Center City residents have climbed on board, making Philly Car Share the nation's largest regional auto-sharing network.

But several other cities are hot on its wheels.

Membership in Chicago's I-Go program has jumped 43 percent since last june.

With demand like that, now even the traditional car rental companies are getting in on the act. Hertz, Enterprise, even U-Haul are all experimenting with renting cars by the hour.

At the same time, rental agencies are beefing up their regular fleets with hybrids and compacts, because that's what gas-weary customers are asking for.

Avis and the rest are now competing with auto-sharing companies such as ZipCar, that don't charge for gas at all.

"You know, if gas prices go up another dollar, it doesn't really impact me," one ZipCar driver said.

If this trend continues, by the time young Anabel Richardson grows up, she may never own a car - because she won't have to.

[r9119111]

r9119111, only liberals wait in soup lines and sleep under bridges.

Posted by faith_in_w at 08:50 AM : Jul 02, 2008


Surely you jest. Bad things happen to good people.

[faith_in_w]

r9119111, only liberals wait in soup lines and sleep under bridges.

[r9119111]

one more thing, if i bust my rear and i have it all, then no, i wont share with you, wahhhh

Posted by URSODUMB at 01:06 AM : Jul 02, 2008


I hope you never find yourself in a soup line or sleeping under a bridge. How you might handle it? Many of those people are now aor have busted their butts also for your benefit.

[xlib]

Say, has queen nance (by the way, where is the madame??)given up her big A jet?? You know, the one she DEMANDED when she became speaker. Huh, has she??
Also, no more coverage on the massive flooding in the Midwest I see. How come?? Oh yea, the population is primairly white, that''s why. Before the outrage, that is not a racist comment it is a statement of fact. There have been no reports of people shooting, looting, raping, killing or sitting on rooftops waiting for the government to DO SOMETHING.
The so called "reporting of the news" by the msm is disgusting. Truly disgusting.

[u-r-right]

I''m amazed by the dumb people who say that higher gas prices won''t affect them because they got rid of their car or now take a bus or whatever. Anybody who eats food WILL be affected.

[slim1h2o]

...or plan for America''''s funeral.

Posted by NAUcoming4U at 09:34 PM : Jul 01, 2008

I have administered last rights already.

[sistatee-2009]

Can you get GPS with an ox cart?

[kansas1946]

How do you get to the place where the cars are? I live in Kansas and unfortunately, we have lousey mass transit or any alternatives to owning a car. I have wished many times that I lived somewhere where I didn''t have to have a car. I have to drive 25 miles to work and there is no way to get there any other way. Car pooling is not an option, at least for me. It is a miserable situation.

[ubrew12]

www.mopedbus.com

Ditch the car. But don''t end up without a vehicle!

[randynason]

One word: GREED.
Some people would rather have it all, rather than share any of it.