Welcome to Calgary CarShare! A cheaper, greener alternative to car ownership.
WHAT IS CARSHARE?
It’s like renting a car by the hour; it’s cheaper and involves less hassle than owning, and is quicker and more convenient than traditional renting. Calgary CarShare maintains eight vehicles throughout the inner city which members can book online, which reduces the number of cars on the road and provides a piece of a less carbon-intensive transportation puzzle.
Car sharing is part of a growing trend among North American urban professionals who want the convenience of a vehicle to run errands or go on a day trip, but don’t want the hassle or expense of owning a car. Calgary CarShare is a co-op, consisting of students, professionals and families, all interested in exploring cheap, energy-efficient modes of transportation. Calgary CarShare maintains seven vehicles stationed throughout the inner city to be rented to members by the hour, day or half day at the click of a mouse. It's a cheaper, greener and more versatile alternative to vehicle ownership: take a Prius today, a minivan tomorrow, and we’ll take care of the maintenance.
WHY SHOULD I USE CARSHARE?
Simply put, CarShare is quicker and more convenient than renting a car, cheaper and greener than owning, and allows you to do some things that are not possible to do by bike or on public transit.
HOW IT WORKS:
Calgary CarSharers have access to a fleet of seven vehicles located throughout the inner city and can reserve a vehicle at any time of day for an hour or two, a full day or half day. Simply log on to your account on-line, select the vehicle, time period and location you need and reserve your car. Pick up the Prius today near home, the minivan tomorrow near work. Easy!
WHO TAKES CARE OF GAS?
Good question. We all do. If the tank drops below half, we ask members to fill ‘er up. This way no-one runs the risk of getting stuck on empty. As gas use is already factored into your mileage fee, you won’t get stuck footing the bill. Simply leave the receipt in the envelope with the vehicle log book, and we’ll credit the amount to your monthly bill.
WHAT’S A LOG BOOK?
Each vehicle has its own log book located near the vehicle console. Before you start your rental, simply fill in your name, the time you picked the car up and note the mileage in the log. That way, we can keep track of how many kilometres you’ve used and how long you had the vehicle for. If you’re done your trip early, be sure to log in when you return the vehicle and you’ll only be charged for the time you used.
SOUNDS GOOD. BUT HOW DO I GET THE KEYS?
When you sign up, you will be given a security key to access any vehicle in the fleet.
DO YOU HAVE A CAR IN MY NEIGHBOURHOOD?
We currently have vehicles in Hillhurst, Sunnyside, Bridgeland, Victoria Park, Mission, West Downtown and one at the MEC on 10th Ave SW. For exact locations, check out our map. We are always entertaining options for new locations, and expect to expand to the Beltline shortly. We are also talking with developers about potential Carshare homes in new high-rises. However, for the time being, we are unlikely to expand far from the downtown area.