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New Idea in Transportation
Dan Simon
Parking in Philadelphia. What a pain in the #$*%!
If you're a city resident, the idea of trying to get by without a car has to be tempting. There are plenty of interesting shops, restaurants and clubs all within walking distance of most center city residents. For longer jaunts (or when bad weather threatens) there's also the city's public transportation system. Still, there are just times when you really need that vehicle.
Current options are either own your own car and pay for parking (not cheap) or rent a car for the occasions you need one (also not cheap). But do you really want to rent a car for an hour's worth of errands or a half-day trip?
It's possible there may be a new option available to Philadelphia residents.
 PhillyCarShare, a non-profit organization based on a successful San Franciso model, is hoping its vision of neighborhood cars with thrive in the City of Brotherly Love.
The plan is to recruit members who rent a car for just brief periods of time — say to run errands, or make a half-day trip to a suburban shopping mall — and thus reduce the number of idle vehicles lining city streets.
The
hope is such a venture can eliminate from four to eight privately
own vehicles for every shared auto in the PhillyCarShare fleet. Those
behind the effort maintain it's a bargain for many residents since
the cost of maintaining your own vehicle can run to more than $8,000
a year. Proponents also argue the system leads to less auto traffic
since participants only use the autos when they really need to.
Renting a shared vehicle for a quick errand can cost as little as $5, with no charge for parking at PhillyCarShare sites. Customers will pay a modest membership fee (not yet determined, but probably between $25 and $500) plus hourly and mileage fees. In other such ventures costs run from $2.50 to $8 an hour plus 28 to 75 cents per mile. The higher end figures tend to reflect fees charged by for-profit car share firms such as Zipcar, which operates in Boston, New York City and Washington, D.C. Zipcar may also be considering a Philadelphia operation.
Participants will get a membership card they'll swipe to use the car, which features a keyless entry system. Once their card is swiped, a lockbox will open permitting access to the vehicle's ignition key. They'll be billed monthly for the time they use the auto.
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