My fiance and I live in Austin, TX and until recently we had two cars. Since I work from home, my car usually sat idle most days which was a huge waste… furthermore it needed maintenance often since it was an old car.  My cost / mile was pretty bad.

I recently got rid of my car and signed up for Car2Go.  Car2Go is a simple program that allows you to use any one of 300 little smart cars located in the Austin downtown and surrounding areas.  It is a bit like zip car but you can park the little car anywhere in the city… for free!!!  You don’t  even have to park it in the place you picked it up.  It costs about $35 to join and $0.35 per minute while you drive.  Since I usually take about 5-10 minute trips from my home to downtown and back I usually spend about $30-$50 per month which is way cheaper than when I had my own car. Here are the pros and cons as I see them.

Pros:

• No maintenance – Saving me a bundle
• I-phone App - There is an I-phone app that tells you where all the cars are located real time so finding one is easy
• No insurance -Yes they cover you… and for $0.35 per minute!
• No gas – Car to go pays for the gas themselves
• No parking cost – The city of Austin lets you park them anywhere downtown for free
• Better parking – Since they are small and since there are designated parking spots for them finding parking is easy

Cons:

• Not always convenient – 80% of the time there is a car2go right outside my apartment building but 20% of the time I need to take a walk (sometimes a 20 minute walk). In these cases I usually just take my bike.
• Very small car - This is a two seater with little storage space. If you need to haul stuff around like equipment then you need a bigger car
• Can’t do trips outside of Austin – If I have a meeting in Roundrock then I need to coordinate with my fiance for our car.

Despite the some minor inconveniences, I am really enjoying the freedom of not having a car while living in Austin, TX.  If more people embraced this concept across the country, we could take thousands or even millions of cars off the road.  Sharing resources (especially resources that consume space and energy) makes sense for the community, the environment, and my pocketbook.

Gandhi said “Be the change you want to see in the word.” I want to see fewer cars, less traffic, and less pollution. To me, Car2Go is a positive example of change so I will support it.

About the Author: deohako

Chris Anderson is a Systems Thinker living in Austin, TX. He has worked as a consultant for several Financial, Government and Manufacturing organizations across North America, Europe, and Asia.