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20 April 2009
Posted in
Springboard to Motion: Eco-Commuting
CarShareHFX is freedom!
CarShareHFX is freedom! It’s freedom to have a car when you need one, and pay only when and if you use it.
It’s hassle-free and expense-free, unlike owning a car. It’s freedom from worry about insurance, bridge tolls, winter off-street parking, MVIs, routine maintenance, and car payments.
Pam Cooley, President and Co-owner of CarShareHFX
It’s green. It’s easy. It’s inexpensive (compared to owning one). And it’s here, in Halifax. Car freedom: how liberating!
Find out how to “free” yourself:
- What is CarShareHFX and its Benefits?
- Why Use CarShareHFX?
- Who Uses Car Sharing?
- How Do I Join CarShareHFX? How Do I Get a Car?
- What Are the Costs for Membership? For Cars?
- Still Skeptical? Here are the Answers
1. What is CarShareHFX and its Benefits?
CarShareHFX is a 100% locally owned company that provides car sharing services in the greater Halifax area. Our goal is to decrease your dependency on personally owned vehicles; save you money and save the environment. Some of our benefits include:
- State of the art carsharing technology, including our 24 hour online or phone reservation system and electronic vehicle security system.
- We have a fleet of cars, including hybrids and other fuel efficient cars like Hondas
- Each car has its own exclusive off-street location for pick-up and drop-off.
- Some are downtown Halifax & Dartmouth, as well as on the peninsula.
- We maintain many “Mobility Partners” with whom various arrangements are made to add value to our members such as the EAC, Budget in Burnside, CRUSISIS, Cyclesmith, Jazz East, Killam Properties, Video Difference, and Westwood Developments. See CarShareHFX many locations all over the city.
If you’d like more information, visit www.carsharehfx.ca, the CarShareHFX website, for the whole scoop, videos and everything!
2. Why Use CarShareHFX?
Because you’re worth it and so is the planet!
1. You’re Worth it: Freedom, Flexibility & Cost Savings
Have you ever:
- Wanted to head to the beach but couldn’t because you didn’t have a car?
- Wished you didn’t have the hassle of car maintenance and repairs?
- Asked yourself why you spend so much your car when you hardly ever use it?
- Wanted to pick up a visiting friend at the airport, but instead had them take a $40 cab ride, one-way?
CarShareHFX provides our members by-the-hour and by the day, self-serve access to vehicles. Cars are available all day and night, every day of the year. Pick-up/ drop off locations are available at convenient locations throughout Halifax and Dartmouth. No insurance is required since we carry the policy. And yes, gas is included, as are 150 km with every reservation. Plus we have snow tires on all our cars. It’s all there for you!
2. The Planet is Worth it: Go Green & Save Greenbacks!
You don’t just save money with carsharing, you “save” the planet. Carsharing helps ‘green’ our shared environment and helps you live more sustainably by:
- Reducing congestion in the city;
- Cutting demand for parking and street space;
- Reducing greenhouse gas emissions (by more than a tonne of CO2 per member per year);
- Using resources more efficiently;
- Promoting a more active lifestyle with all the health benefits of that.
- Each of our cars will be displacing between 10 and 15 privately owned cars.
What are you waiting for? Join CarShareHFX today! And see how a lucky CRUSISIS memebrs won a CarShareHFX membership!
3. Who Uses Car Sharing?
Individuals, businesses, cities, anybody can use car sharing!
1. Individuals
Applicants need to be 21 years old and have a satisfactory three-year driver’s record. (See website for details.)
2. The Perfect “Company Car”
Car sharing reduces business travel costs; encourages and rewards carpooling and metro transit users; avoids costly and complicated expense sheets; and is convenient for off site meetings.
3. Cities Love it!
There is a burgeoning network of carshare organizations across North America that now has a half million members, in 100 or so cities and universities. Many have memberships growing at up to 200% per year.
Help reduce your city’s, association’s or group’s vehicle congestion and demand for parking and street space, and create a healthier environment in the process.
4. How Do I Join CarShareHFX? How Do I Get a Car?
It’s simple to join and simple to use:
1. Simple Steps to Joining:
Joining is almost instant and can be done in one day.
- Apply Online at www.carsharehfx.ca/join
- We review, approve and confirm your membership with payment.
- Come for your Orientation
- Get your personal RFID ‘Fob’, the real key to all our cars.
Presto! You are ready to start sharing our CarShareHFX cars!
2. Simple Steps to Getting a Car:
- Reserve online or by phone for intervals of 1 hour to 3 days (in 15 minute slices).
- Reserve spur of the moment, or 3 months ahead.
- Make as many reservation as you want in a month.
- Go to the car you reserved at the right time.
- Present your Fob to the car sensor. The onboard VALU computer recognizes you and unlocks the doors and the ignition, only for you, the person who reserved the car.
- Put the key in the ignition, and drive away.
- Bring back the car. Park it. Fob out.
Does it get any easier… and greener?
5. What Are the Costs for Membership? For Cars?
When you consider the upfront commitment and costs of ownership, CarShareHFX costs are a steal of a deal! CAA states that a typical late model compact costs close to $7,000/yr in fixed costs. This is about 35 times the cost of a CarShareHFX membership.
1. CarShareHFX Membership Costs
Membership costs are reasonable and flexible:
- Join for as little as $99 (our quarterly plan).
- A full year individual membership costs $250 the 1st year.
- Pay only $200 annual fee for the 2nd year.
- Adding other drivers costs just $50.
2. Car Usage Costs
We only charge you only for what you reserve:
- $9 an hour weekdays
- $10 an hour evenings, weekends, holidays
- $3 an hour between midnight and 6 am - Gas, insurance, MacPass & 150 km included.
- Or a maximum of $89 for any 24-hour period ($20 off until July 1st).
6. Still Skeptical? Here are the Answers
Wondering why you should carshare rather than rent? Concerned cars won’t be available when you need one? Or maybe you are worried about the liability if you are in an accident? No more need to wonder. The answers are all below:
1. “What If I Don’t Have Car to Share?”
You don’t need one. We own the cars our members share, and care for them, like the video rental store owns the DVDs you share with their other customers.
2. “Why pay a couple hundred dollars a year to join CarShareHFX?
For the self-accessed, technology-based, 24x7, 365 day/yr professional and unparalleled service, and an organization that supports it.Imagine the reaction or costs from a car rental place in these scenarios:
- An unexpected call from your teenager to pick them at a party at midnight: NO SERVICE!
- The need for a car for a couple hours (11-2am), for a late night pick-up at the airport or from shift work: FULL-DAY FEE! Or a taxi? $50 per hour! (vs. $11 with CarShareHFX)
- A spur of the moment outing after the kids go to bed: NO SERVICE! Or, if it is day-time: FULL-DAY FEE! (vs. 2-hr fee from CarShareHFX)
A spur of the moment trip to Crystal Crescent Beach for the afternoon on a sunny Sunday afternoon is 4 hours, $40, gas included! Taxis? $50 an hour. Car Rental? Not available. Bus? No way!
3. Why Not Rent, Cab or Bus Instead?
What are the costs, availability or flexibility of other options?
- With rentals you spend time getting the rental and returning it; you have to pick up the car when their office is open, often only 6 day per week; there’s all that paperwork; you may have to wait; you don’t always get what you thought you reserved; and there’s a question about whether you should buy their insurance or not.
- With cabs: you wait… and often wait some more for the cab to come. This is no picnic in the snow, rain, late at night, away from the centre of the city. With CarShareHFX the car is in a known location, usually just a short walk away.
- With buses: it is a great, inexpensive choice, if the route and schedule fits.
Walk, bike, take transit and taxis when appropriate, but when you would want a car. CarShareHFX is the solution!
4. “Don’t Car Rentals Charge as Little as $28/day VS. $69-$89/day for CarShareHFX?”
True enough, as far as list price goes. But there are other ‘costs’ with rental cars.
- Fuel is not included.
- They insist you “should” buy added insurance ($20 a day or more); probably since their included liability coverage is generally the statutory minimum. Whereas CarShareHFX’s policy is 4 times what NS requires.
- There are no cheaper options if you just need a car for a couple of hours.
- Office hours are limited.
- Picking-up and returning the car takes 1-2 hours.
- There are no guarantees on availability.
When you reserve one of our cars you know the specific car and its location. And we guarantee it will be there… even if it’s just for an hour.
5. “What If The Car I Want Isn’t Available When I Need It?
This may happen with carsharing, just like it may happen with your own car at times. The further ahead you reserve, the more likely you are to get the car one you want for the time you want.
That said, most carshares find that 65% of their reservations are made on the same day or the day before. And they report well over 95% members get a car when they want.
When you make your reservation, you can see all the other cars that are available. Therefore, if your desired car is not available, you could just walk to the next pick-up/ drop-off location to get an alternate car; or just adjust your schedule slightly for the car you want.
And all the other options you’d have without CarShareHFX (ie: taxis, buses, rentals, your brother-in-law’s car) are still as available as ever.
6. “Do I Need Insurance? What If I Have an Accident?
Our fleet insurance policy provides our members first-rate 3rd party liability coverage AND provides each of them an ‘insured driver’ record. This potentially saves thousands of dollars if you later buy and insure your own car.
Our detailed deductible policy is outlined on our website. You have a credit card that covers rentals? Perfect, zero deductible!
CarShareHFX Locations
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