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> Still, cars are everywhere. There are just tons of trips where the alternative doesn’t really make sense. The obvious alternative is a car sharing platform.

by bartvk 5y ago

> Still, cars are everywhere. There are just tons of trips where the alternative doesn’t really make sense. The obvious alternative is a car sharing platform. I've got a couple in my neighborhood and they work for the kind of trip you're describing.

varjag 5y ago
That's an alternative only if you don't need a car regularly. You still have to book a vehicle (availability can vary), get to the collection lot, get back home if you need to pick up someone for the trip, take the trip, deliver the passengers, clean up and fuel/charge the vehicle, deliver it back to the parking lot and get back home.
- bartvk 5y ago
  Yes, that's correct. I'd have to hedge my previous statement and say it's only viable for regular car usage if there are multiple shared cars within walking distance. For instance in my street, there's one. And another two in the next street. I've got an 8 year old and it works fine and I book up to three trips per week. But if they weren't within walking range (for a kid) then indeed, it wouldn't be an alternative to owning a car.
Toutouxc 5y ago
There's one thing that car sharing proponents still seem to miss, even on HN, which is interesting, HN being a community where everyone apparently runs Arch with i3, vim and custom dotfiles on a Thinkpad. My car is MY car. There is no more dust or dirt in it than in my living room. The cabin filter has been recently replaced and there is no mold in the condenser. I know the single other person who drives it an exactly how she drives it. The brake pads are okay. The steering is okay. The wishbone bushings are okay and the car won't pull anywhere even under heavy braking. I've driven this car for thousands of kilometers and hundreds of hours, fast and slow, in rain and snow. If I ever need to evade an obstacle doing 130 kph on a highway in a split second, just by muscle memory, without flipping the car over and hurting myself or my girlfriend, I want it to be in this car. People die driving cars. Cars are heavy machinery (!) operated by mostly incompetent, distracted, sometimes aggressive clothed monkeys and as long as this is true, I simply refuse to drive a vehicle I know nothing about and can't rely on. I'm not even going to mention covid, thank god for my own car. (Btw I do use shared cars for short trips around the city and the cars, despite being almost brand new, are mostly dirty poor banged up things driven like fucking go karts by other people.)
- bartvk 5y ago
  I haven't had that experience. Maybe it's due to the fact that my platform of choice does not allow casual driving. It's a pretty high monthly fee. The cars have remained clean and in very good shape, lasting about four years. I totally agree with you. If I had your experience, then I definitely would've outright owned a car. No way I'll put my kid in an unsafe car.

by bartvk 5y ago

varjag 5y ago

That's an alternative only if you don't need a car regularly. You still have to book a vehicle (availability can vary), get to the collection lot, get back home if you need to pick up someone for the trip, take the trip, deliver the passengers, clean up and fuel/charge the vehicle, deliver it back to the parking lot and get back home.

bartvk 5y ago
Yes, that's correct. I'd have to hedge my previous statement and say it's only viable for regular car usage if there are multiple shared cars within walking distance. For instance in my street, there's one. And another two in the next street. I've got an 8 year old and it works fine and I book up to three trips per week. But if they weren't within walking range (for a kid) then indeed, it wouldn't be an alternative to owning a car.

Toutouxc 5y ago

There's one thing that car sharing proponents still seem to miss, even on HN, which is interesting, HN being a community where everyone apparently runs Arch with i3, vim and custom dotfiles on a Thinkpad. My car is MY car. There is no more dust or dirt in it than in my living room. The cabin filter has been recently replaced and there is no mold in the condenser. I know the single other person who drives it an exactly how she drives it. The brake pads are okay. The steering is okay. The wishbone bushings are okay and the car won't pull anywhere even under heavy braking. I've driven this car for thousands of kilometers and hundreds of hours, fast and slow, in rain and snow. If I ever need to evade an obstacle doing 130 kph on a highway in a split second, just by muscle memory, without flipping the car over and hurting myself or my girlfriend, I want it to be in this car. People die driving cars. Cars are heavy machinery (!) operated by mostly incompetent, distracted, sometimes aggressive clothed monkeys and as long as this is true, I simply refuse to drive a vehicle I know nothing about and can't rely on. I'm not even going to mention covid, thank god for my own car. (Btw I do use shared cars for short trips around the city and the cars, despite being almost brand new, are mostly dirty poor banged up things driven like fucking go karts by other people.)

bartvk 5y ago
I haven't had that experience. Maybe it's due to the fact that my platform of choice does not allow casual driving. It's a pretty high monthly fee. The cars have remained clean and in very good shape, lasting about four years. I totally agree with you. If I had your experience, then I definitely would've outright owned a car. No way I'll put my kid in an unsafe car.