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Car sharing coming to Portland
by Outspoken on Tue Nov 18, 2008 5:36 am
Car sharing coming to Portland
U Car Share will station PT Cruisers at two sites for use by fee-paying program members.
By JOHN RICHARDSON
Staff Writer Portland Press Herald
Car sharing, European style, is coming to Portland.
U Car Share, a division of U-Haul, plans to deliver four white PT Cruisers to the city by the end of the year. The cars will be stationed near the Casco Bay Lines ferry terminal and Monument Square, and they will be available for self-service, hourly rentals.
The city's transportation committee invited U Car Share here to help reduce the number of cars clogging Portland's streets and parking lots and to encourage the use of public transportation. The City Council endorsed the idea Monday, voting to dedicate four prime on-street parking spots to the program. The company will be responsible for moving the cars during snow bans and street sweeping.
"The idea is for (households) to have less need for a second vehicle," said John Peverada, manager of the city's parking division. "Hopefully, it's going to reduce the traffic and it's going to reduce the demand on parking."
Car-sharing programs vary, but generally require customers to pay a membership fee and use the Internet to reserve the vehicles. Members get identification cards that unlock the cars. They're charged for the time they use the cars, and they have to return them to their designated parking spots when they're done.
While it's up to members to refill the cars' gas tanks when they get below a quarter full, the company pays for the actual fuel. The use fee – $10 an hour or $65 a day in the case of U Car Share – covers gas, maintenance, insurance and parking.
Share programs are especially popular among city dwellers who rely on public transportation and occasionally need a car, but want to avoid the costs and hassles owning one.
Car-sharing programs began in Europe more than 20 years ago and spread to some U.S. cities, including Boston, in the past decade. Several Maine college campuses have programs, but Portland's is believed to be the first community-based effort.
Interest in a Portland car-sharing program has been building since last spring when downtown residents gathered to discuss the idea and then pitched it to the city.
"I think people are really excited," said Matti Gurney, a Munjoy Hill resident who helped start the effort.
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=222628&ac=PHnws
U Car Share will station PT Cruisers at two sites for use by fee-paying program members.
By JOHN RICHARDSON
Staff Writer Portland Press Herald
Car sharing, European style, is coming to Portland.
U Car Share, a division of U-Haul, plans to deliver four white PT Cruisers to the city by the end of the year. The cars will be stationed near the Casco Bay Lines ferry terminal and Monument Square, and they will be available for self-service, hourly rentals.
The city's transportation committee invited U Car Share here to help reduce the number of cars clogging Portland's streets and parking lots and to encourage the use of public transportation. The City Council endorsed the idea Monday, voting to dedicate four prime on-street parking spots to the program. The company will be responsible for moving the cars during snow bans and street sweeping.
"The idea is for (households) to have less need for a second vehicle," said John Peverada, manager of the city's parking division. "Hopefully, it's going to reduce the traffic and it's going to reduce the demand on parking."
Car-sharing programs vary, but generally require customers to pay a membership fee and use the Internet to reserve the vehicles. Members get identification cards that unlock the cars. They're charged for the time they use the cars, and they have to return them to their designated parking spots when they're done.
While it's up to members to refill the cars' gas tanks when they get below a quarter full, the company pays for the actual fuel. The use fee – $10 an hour or $65 a day in the case of U Car Share – covers gas, maintenance, insurance and parking.
Share programs are especially popular among city dwellers who rely on public transportation and occasionally need a car, but want to avoid the costs and hassles owning one.
Car-sharing programs began in Europe more than 20 years ago and spread to some U.S. cities, including Boston, in the past decade. Several Maine college campuses have programs, but Portland's is believed to be the first community-based effort.
Interest in a Portland car-sharing program has been building since last spring when downtown residents gathered to discuss the idea and then pitched it to the city.
"I think people are really excited," said Matti Gurney, a Munjoy Hill resident who helped start the effort.
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=222628&ac=PHnws
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Plato (427-347 BC)
Plato (427-347 BC)
