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I don't see the current technology making car sharing/ride purchasing more convenient than owning a car anytime soon. I respectfully (albeit strongly) disagree

I don't see the current technology making car sharing/ride purchasing more convenient than owning a car anytime soon. I respectfully (albeit strongly) disagree. I used to own a car and after my ex totaled it (she was my ex already when she smashed the car and we're still good friends) I didn't bother to replace it. Instead I bought a share of a car sharing cooperative and for the few times a year, when I need a car their offerings are more than adequate. Granted, there are a few factors that make this arrangement work very well: Public transport is so abundant and flexible where I live that it's super rare that I ever need a car. I have, literally, a dozen cars that I can hire on short notice (peak hours like Saturday, excluded) within a 5 minute walking distance. The models represent the range from a Smart to a Mercedes transporter The vehicles are always well maintained, clean and if necessary outfitted with winter tires in a timely manner When I need a car, I couldn't care less what model I'm driving, except maybe: a Smart is not too ideal to transport bulky goods I don't have to bother with the dirty business of owning a car It's much cheaper than owning. If you need a car during peak times some planning is advisable. The worst case was when I needed to take a tram for a couple stations to get to the nearest available vehicle. So, I think it really depends on how it's organized, availability of vehicles and the quality of public transport. So you don't need a car most of the times to begin with.

tegeek 12y ago
I've been living in Stockholm, Sweden for the past 3 years and I never owned a car until this May. Now I can testify based on my last 3 months usage that owing a car in Stockholm is more expensive/headache than the public transport + membership with some X car service.
quinndupont 12y ago
And some cities provide special parking spots for hired cars (and those that don't surely will in the vision of the future offered here).
sokoloff 12y ago
GGP comment included the text "for the vast majority of people" and that's the context with which I was responding. I agree there are situations today for which it is more convenient. The better the public transport and the worse the parking situation, the more likely it is to be a winner in convenience. Even in Boston (with good [relative to the rest of America] public transport), it's tough to make car sharing feel more convenient. That's largely because of the distances involved. Do you want to take Uber 25 miles up to the beach, and then take Uber back? Or do you want to pray that you can rent a ZipCar for an entire weekend day to make that same beach trip? (I agree that people who do that are STILL saving money; I just don't find that to be as convenient.)
toomuchtodo 12y ago
I live in the Chicago suburbs with minimal public transportation options. It would not be cheaper to use Uber/Lyft than to own my own car. Your use case exists, and while the majority of people are living in cities now, plenty of people (myself included) are still willing to pay the full sunk costs of owning a vehicle for the flexibility that it provides. Insurance = ~$800/year Fuel = ~$2000/year Maintenance = $1000/year Taxes/Fees = ~$200/year ~$4000/year is pretty inexpensive for the mobility my vehicle provides.

tegeek 12y ago

I've been living in Stockholm, Sweden for the past 3 years and I never owned a car until this May. Now I can testify based on my last 3 months usage that owing a car in Stockholm is more expensive/headache than the public transport + membership with some X car service.

quinndupont 12y ago

And some cities provide special parking spots for hired cars (and those that don't surely will in the vision of the future offered here).

sokoloff 12y ago

GGP comment included the text "for the vast majority of people" and that's the context with which I was responding. I agree there are situations today for which it is more convenient. The better the public transport and the worse the parking situation, the more likely it is to be a winner in convenience. Even in Boston (with good [relative to the rest of America] public transport), it's tough to make car sharing feel more convenient. That's largely because of the distances involved. Do you want to take Uber 25 miles up to the beach, and then take Uber back? Or do you want to pray that you can rent a ZipCar for an entire weekend day to make that same beach trip? (I agree that people who do that are STILL saving money; I just don't find that to be as convenient.)

toomuchtodo 12y ago

I live in the Chicago suburbs with minimal public transportation options. It would not be cheaper to use Uber/Lyft than to own my own car. Your use case exists, and while the majority of people are living in cities now, plenty of people (myself included) are still willing to pay the full sunk costs of owning a vehicle for the flexibility that it provides. Insurance = ~$800/year Fuel = ~$2000/year Maintenance = $1000/year Taxes/Fees = ~$200/year ~$4000/year is pretty inexpensive for the mobility my vehicle provides.