Also this issue: Palms Away There's a Bitar battle brewing in West Philly over a tree. -Daniel Brook

November 21-27, 2002

cityspace

Wheelie Good Deal

by Daniel Brook

PhillyCarShare is up and running. With seed money from Councilman Frank DiCicco and State Rep. Babette Josephs, the rent-your-wheels-by-the-hour nonprofit is a reality.

Car sharing allows members -- who pay a $10 monthly membership fee -- to reserve cars for any time of day or night by phone or Internet (www.phillycarshare.org). Car use costs $3.90 an hour plus 39 cents a mile. When the tank runs low, members fill it up but the organization pays the gas bill.

While the group is starting small -- just two cars parked in the Whole Foods lot at Ninth and South streets -- PhillyCarShare has big plans.

"Every month we'll add a couple cars," says executive director Tanya Seaman, the group's only paid staffer. Operated out of an office on 43rd Street, Seaman says expansion into West Philadelphia is imminent. Adding a few cars a month, one day, PhillyCarShare hopes to have vehicles available all over the city.

Car sharing is tailored for people who need to make occasional short trips for large items, like shopping at Home Depot. For longer trips, PhillyCarShare members get a discount from Enterprise Rent-A-Car. For CarShare members, Enterprise will even waive the exorbitant fee charged to renters under 25-years-old.

According to Seaman, there are tons of benefits to using a car-share in lieu of buying a first or second car. "The reduction of cars in Philadelphia will reduce the need for parking and for building new parking. It also has great air quality benefits," Seaman says, mentioning that many of the CarShare vehicles will be gas/electric hybrid cars like the Toyota Prius.

But beyond the think globally, act locally appeal, people can save a lot of money sharing cars.

"When people own a car, they use it as much as they can to make good on their investment," Seaman says. "Paying by the trip discourages use and it's much less of a hassle," she says, referring to maintenance costs and Philadelphia's notorious insurance premiums.

According to Clayton Lane, a PhillyCarShare founder and volunteer, "people save on average $3,000 to $4,000 a year versus owning a car."