Great Green Idea: Green Living: Live the "No Car" Lifestyle Without Limiting Your Life Using Car Sharing Services

Live the "No Car" Lifestyle Without Limiting Your Life Using Car Sharing Services

A lot of us who live in cities are interested in living a "no car" lifestyle. With the ever increasing cost of gasoline, coupled with the environmental impact of owning and driving a car, many of us are looking for alternatives. Public transportation options continue to improve in major cities, making it easy and feasible to do most of your day-to-day errands and chores with ease. Getting to work and back isn't a problem, nor is hitting the town for a night out. But what keeps most of us chained to our cars are those times we will need wheels. When we need to go out of town or to a place in town that public transportation cannot get us to, or perhaps even when we are making a larger purchase that cannot be carried on a train or bus.

But is this really a reason to hang on to that gas-guzzler that you don't really need? Many people then go on to talk about the cost of rental cars. The fees are so high, the gas costs are not included, and the mileage and insurance rates are prohibitive. Being so costly to rent a car, and knowing that you will have occasions when a car is a necessity, keeps many of us chained to our unwanted vehicles.

Now there is a solution that makes living a no car lifestyle possible, without limiting your options from when and where you can go places. The solution is car sharing. Car sharing is a solution that allows you instant access to a vehicle when you need it, you pay per use, and it allows you the convenience of having a car when you need one, without your having to incur the costly insurance, gas, and maintenance fees for a vehicle you only need a few times a week or month. When you just need a car for an hour, does it make sense to rent it for a whole day? No! With car sharing, you can rent the vehicle by the hour! This means, you only pay for the use of the car for as long as you need it.

There are a growing number of car sharing services that are affordable, convenient, and making living without a car and realizing that more environmentally friendly dream without a lot of hassle or expense. These services often offer a number of different vehicle types (cars, vans, trucks), with a number of pick-up locations, and everything you need is included in the cost. This means gas, insurance, and mileage are included. The number of miles most car share services give you far exceed what you need for small and simple trips.

Car sharing is an excellent way to make living a no car lifestyle feasible for those of us who live in cities that provide adequate public transportation for most of our everyday needs. There will still be times when we will need a car, such as during times when public transportation is unavailable, we need to pick up something large, or make a short trip out of town.

Subscribing to one of the many car sharing companies is a great way to have round the clock access to a vehicle, should you need it, without all the cost and hassle of car ownership. You pay for the time you need and nothing more. This service is a great solution for individuals looking to live a more environmentally friendly lifestyle.