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Save Money

According to several studies, the average car sits waiting to be used by its owner almost 23 hours of every day. In addition, consider that the Alberta Motor Association estimates that, on average, it costs nearly $8000 per year to own and operate a new small sized car for the first four years in Edmonton. For drivers who drive more, this can grow beyond $11,000. For the sake of 100% convenience and availability (which, due to repairs, use by another family member, etc. is never quite achieved) a privately owned vehicle can be a very expensive transportation option. The charts below compare the cost of ownership of a vehicle to the costs associated with participating in our carsharing co-op.

The actual costs of owning a vehicle vary from person to person depending on a number of factors: the age and type of vehicle, what condition it is in, how it is maintained and by whom, and the type of insurance one gets. The important thing to consider is that the bulk of costs are incurred whether the car is used or not. In the example below, 73% of the new car costs and 53% of the used car are paid before they are even driven! Because of this high ratio of fixed costs to variable costs, owners are encouraged to drive excessively, even when better options are available.

Estimated Car Ownership Costs
	New Car ($16 000) 15 000 km per year	Six year old car ($6000) 15 000 km per year
Finance Charges	$640	$240
Depreciation	$2800	$1050
Insurance and Registration	$1191	$950
Maintenance and Repairs	$420	$780
Gasoline and Oil	$1024	$1024
Other (car washes, accessories, etc.)	$150	$150
Total	$6225	$4192
Assumptions: Finance Charges: 20% down, 4-year loan at 8% for the rest. Depreciation: 15-20% annually depending on model, 17.5% used here. Maintenance and Repairs: Estimates from the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA) at 2.8 cents/km for a new car and 5.2 cents/km for a six year old model. Gasoline costs are based on current national average of 64.6 cents per litre information based on estimates from the CAA and the Victoria Car Share Co-op.

The costs of driving for members of the Carsharing Co-operative are determined, for the major part, by how much one drives. After joining, if you don't drive, you don't pay. This provides a strong incentive to minimize the use of vehicles and encourages members to use alternative forms of transportation when they make more sense.

Estimated Carsharing Costs
	500 hours and 5000 km	200 hours and 2000 km	Your Estimated Use (___hours/year and ___km/year)
Annual Fee (fixed at $10 per month)	$120	$120	$120
Time-based Fees ($2.50/hour)	$1250	$500
Distance-based Fees ($0.40/km)	$2000	$800
Total	$3370	$1420

Carsharing provides people with access to vehicles when they need them. Participants pay for the vehicle when they use it – and only a minimal fee when it is sitting in a garage. If you drive less than 10,000 kilometres a year and you are not using your car for commuting purposes you will probably save money.

Car ownership has two types of costs associated with it: fixed and variable costs. The fixed costs are the purchase cost, financing charges, insurance, etc. while the variable costs are gasoline, maintenance, cleaning, etc. The variable costs are quite small in comparison to the fixed costs and this disparity encourages a car owner to drive more to lower their cost per kilometre travelled.

Consider how much you drive and really need a car. Carsharing may work quite well for you. Find out how to join.

Would you prefer this...
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Reduce your environmental impact

Most of us are aware of the environmental degradation that our society is causing on the world. For several years scientist have been warning the government, business, and society that we need to reduce the level of certain gasses, namely carbon dioxide caused by human activity, in the atmosphere to avoid global and local catastrophic consequences.

We can not change the geography or climate of our country but we can help to change people's attitudes, lifestyle choices, and behaviours about how energy is used. As individuals we can help to reduce our contribution to the increase of these gasses; we can reduce the amount of carbon dioxide by reducing our use of fossil fuel energy.

The private automobile has been the vehicle that has carried the North American dream to new heights. It has meant freedom, life in suburbia, mobility at will, and a multitude of other dream like allusions that the automobile has offered us. Twenty-five percent of all of Canada's greenhouse gas emissions are produced by the individual while the remainder is produced by industry. In our day to day lives it is transportation that accounts for about 45% of our personal contribution to greenhouse gasses while space heating/cooling accounts for 33%.

In 1997, the Government of Canada committed Canadians to a 6% reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and the City of Edmonton has committed itself to a reduction of 20% by the year 2008. The number one area that a citizen contributes to greenhouse gasses is by their personal transportation choice it is the area with the best and fastest payback.

Reduce the number of cars on the road and reduce the number of kilometres driven by their owners.

Several carsharing organisations (CSOs) have conducted studies of the driving habits of their members before and after they joined the CSO. Every study has shown that the kilometres driven by previous car owners have dropped considerably - 50% to 60%. In one year Victoria Car Share Co-op was able to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide (the major greenhouse gas) by over 36 tonnes. This is equivalent to almost 18 vehicles not being driven the national average (20,000 kilometres per year).

The CSOs contribution to lowering GHG and other pollutants is achieved by the reduced amount of mileage that the average member drives PLUS through the number of vehicles being produced. Instead of one citizen for one car a CSO may have 15 to 25 members for one car. The average car takes the energy equivalent of 1,500L of oil to manufacture and uses at least 10,000L of fuel before it is scrapped. So you can see that the energy that it takes to produce an automobile is a significant percentage of the energy that it will consume, along with the subsequent creation of pollution. Findings from other CSOs have shown that for each car shared in the CSO it eliminated the purchase and use of at least 4 vehicles.

Other benefits

Apart from reducing greenhouse gasses through the reduced use of automobiles and their manufacture, the CSO will help in a variety of other areas:

• Reduce emissions of sulphur dioxide, nitrous oxides, particulate matter (PM10), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), benzene, toluene, and xylene which all pose health and environmental threats.
• Reduce financial and psychological stress from owning and operating a vehicle
• Improve local air quality and health
• Reduces congestion, sprawl, and wear and tear on the transportation infrastructure
• Improve urban quality of life
• Increase pedestrian safety in our communities

For more info on environmental benefits check out these facts and figures.

Reduce your emissions of Greenhouse Gasses, make Edmonton a healthier community to live in, and feel better about the size of your ecological footprint; think about joining us.

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