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Vancouver: David Suzuki Starts Car CO-OP
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by Barry ORegan | February 29, 2008 at 06:48 am
1952 views | 0 Recommendations | 4 comments
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Barry Artiste, Now Public Contributor
Environmentalist Dr. David Suzuki's Car Borrowing Co-op for the Masses who do not have a car but need to borrow a car on a part-time basis will certainly get a lot of takers.
Surrey, British Columbia, being one of the largest "Car Borrowing" cities in North America actually invented this Car Borrowing practise years ago, whereby a needy Citizen on the spur of the moment could just pick out any car parked at any one of the Cities many parking lots or street and borrow it, no messy paperwork to fill out, no fees, no problem, sometimes surprising the car's occupants.
Small StepsDavid Suzuki,
Special to the SunPublished: Friday, February 29, 2008An average car driving about 18,000 km/year costs $8,000-$9,000 each year including fuel, registration fees and depreciation. People who require the use of a vehicle from time to time can save money by joining a co-op to jointly own vehicles with others. Members pay a small monthly administration fee to cover some of the fixed costs of the car and when they use a car, they pay low fees for it by the hour and/or by the kilometre.
For more information: http://www.cooperativeauto.net
David Suzuki's Small Steps appears Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
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Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (4)
at 09:45 on February 29th, 2008
Interesting stuff, Barry Artiste. I can see that it makes sense for people who don't need a car very often to use the co-op. Do you think this approach will persuade car owners to give up their wheels? Would be good to have fewer cars on the road, in my view.
at 12:09 on February 29th, 2008
I am certain no one will give up their wheels, I feel this is more for the person who cannot afford a car or one who only occasionally needs one. Both ways, it works to their advantage
at 11:48 on October 7th, 2008
Small correction: the CAN Car Co-op in Vancouver does not charge monthly fees, but a one-time share purchase of $500 up front (it is a co-op, so it is member-owned). If you decide to leave the co-op, you sell your shares and get your money back. You only pay admin fees on the month you use the service; if you don't need a car in June, for example, there is no fee for that month.
at 17:04 on May 4th, 2009
This is interesting. The car co-op is perfect for those who don't need a car that often. The money-back option is great too.