Vancouver is in first place when it comes to car-sharing in North America, according to a Vancity survey.
Anthonia Ogundele with Vancity says they surveyed 4,000 car-share members throughout the province and found half of respondents belong to two or more car-share programs.
The report says one in three respondents joined a car-share program in the last 12 months, whereas two-thirds began car-sharing in the last two years alone.
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“The popularity is growing. We have currently 3,000 car-share vehicles on the road, which is quite a bit more than our national counterparts in Toronto and Montreal, but also is quite significantly higher than Seattle, Portland and San Francisco as well,” Ogundele said.
For comparison, Toronto has 1,650 and Montreal has a little more than 2,080.
Ogundele says the popularity is being driven by convenience — it’s more environmentally friendly, and there are financial benefits that come with not owning a car.
“Because 25 per cent were able to get rid of the second vehicle and furthermore, the costs associated with car-sharing are significantly less than private car ownership. You know, having to pay the gas, having to pay insurance, and maintenance and wear and tear and, as a car-share member, you just don’t have to do that,” she said.
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