Car sharing (engl. car = Car, to share = share) is the organized communal use of automobiles. Car sharing competes with local public transport. The new types of car sharing no longer require fixed rental and drop-off points for cars; Instead, the vehicles can be rented off the street and parked at any point within the urban area defined by the provider. Car sharing began to establish itself in major German cities around 2011 and will play an important role in future mobility.
providers
The largest German providers of station-independent car sharing are Car2Go (Mercedes-Benz) and Drive now (BMW) with networks in several large cities. Anyone who registers in one city can use the vehicles in the other cities. As a rule, cross-city uses are not possible. B., a car rented in Cologne can be driven to Düsseldorf, but is not allowed to return it there, even though Düsseldorf is part of the provider's area of operations. The Volkswagen group operates its car sharing system Quicar only in Hanover.
Rental process
Car sharing services are now rarely booked by telephone and mostly via the Internet. They are based on the GPS satellite system, which means that the operator always knows where the individual vehicles are. In this way, the customer can also find the vehicles available nearby on the local PC or on the go on the smartphone. You can reserve them for a short time without cancellation fees, so that they are blocked for other interested parties for a long time.
When you arrive at the car, you legitimize yourself on the outside of the windshield RFID-Chip that is on a chip card or in a sticker in the driver's license. The car is then automatically unlocked. After entering a password - a four-digit PIN number - you can drive off.
Intermediate parking, for example in front of a supermarket, is typically 9 cents cheaper than the normal driving minute (29 cents). The car can also be parked free of charge in zones with parking meters. To this end, the operators have concluded contracts with the city administrations. You log out again via the RFID chip, whereupon the vehicle automatically locks and is ready for the next tenant. There are no fuel costs, they are included in the price. Billing takes place every minute and does not depend on the kilometers traveled. Classic city car car sharing services, on the other hand, charge according to kilometers, coupled with hourly or daily flat rates.
The flexible services car sharing vehicles are largely new cars; Before and after use, their optical condition (clean, scratched, etc.) is indicated in the on-board computer. Drive Now relies on emotional customer loyalty, including via social networks such as Facebook, and gives the vehicles names such as "Caesar". The cars (Minis and 1 Series BMWs at Drive Now, Smarts at Car2Go) also serve as advertising for a possible new car purchase. Both of these operators manufacture the vehicles themselves.
Taxi and bike sharing
In a broader sense, this is also part of car sharing Taxi sharing, where several interested parties come together for certain journeys via the Internet in order to save taxi costs. The criticism that this procedure weakens the taxi industry is offset by the argument that the shared use of an automobile causes environmental damage through CO2-Emission reduced.
The idea of car sharing tries to contribute to the success of the Bike sharing to connect, where bicycles can be rented flexibly within cities and parked freely.
Car sharing for travelers to Germany
For people who frequently travel from city to city in Germany by train or plane, it is worth taking part in car sharing offers to get to their destination locally. Such a vehicle can almost always be found within walking distance of the train stations. However, the airports are not yet connected. When that is introduced, airport taxis will compete.
Car sharing is part of an increasingly complex, interwoven mobility mix that was only made possible by GPS, apps on smartphones, the Internet and electronic means of payment.
