Skip to main content

Benefits of car share quantified

San Francisco Bay Area had fewer greenhouse gas emissions and less congestion in 2010 due to City CarShare's (CCS) service. According to results third-party studies and 2010 CCS data, City CarShare members saved US$82 million (over the cost of car ownership) and contributed to a greener environment by reducing 60 million pounds of CO2 emissions last year. Additionally, City CarShare, a Bay Area nonprofit, stated it continued to achieve financial sustainability in 2010, ensuring the 10-year old organisation
May 21, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
San Francisco Bay Area had fewer greenhouse gas emissions and less congestion in 2010 due to 5649 City CarShare’s (CCS) service. According to results third-party studies and 2010 CCS data, City CarShare members saved US$82 million (over the cost of car ownership) and contributed to a greener environment by reducing 60 million pounds of CO2 emissions last year. Additionally, City CarShare, a Bay Area nonprofit, stated it continued to achieve financial sustainability in 2010, ensuring the 10-year old organisation will continue to serve the Bay Area for years to come.

For ten years, City CarShare has been encouraging locals to give up their cars or forego buying one by offering its members 24/7 hourly access to a fleet of conveniently located unstaffed and fuel-efficient vehicles. As a nonprofit, City CarShare’s transit-oriented model of carsharing measures its success based on the benefits its service brings to the Bay Area.

Based on UC Berkeley studies, EPA and 4939 AAA data, City CarShare members decreased their carbon footprints while collectively saving $82 million in transportation costs. Combined, it is claimed that City CarShare members:

  • Reduced congestion on Bay Area roads with over 60,000 fewer vehicle miles travelled per day.
  • Reduced CO2 emissions by over 60 million pounds, in 2010.
  • Increased their use of public transit, walking and biking by up to 49 per cent (since joining CCS). This equates to an increase of more than 2,500 hours per week of additional environmentally friendly transportation.
  • Saved up to $6,000 per household per year over the cost of owning their own car.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • How can US transportation be ‘re-envisioned’?
    October 17, 2019
    In her address to this year’s ITS America Annual Meeting, congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, chair of the House Subcommittee on Highways and Transit, called for a ‘re-envisioning’ of transportation. Her speech is below – and ITS International asks a number of US experts what they would like to see ‘re-envisioned’…

    I would like to welcome  ITS America to the nation’s capital.

  • Birmingham to open Clean Air Zone in 2021
    October 14, 2020
    Hydrogen buses will also start operating in the UK city from next year
  • Act now on climate, says Yunex Taffic
    October 13, 2021
    Formerly Siemens ITS, Yunex Traffic is at a major event in its own right for the first time; CEO Markus Schlitt outlines why its vital that the company’s message is heard as soon as possible
  • TomTom's HD Traffic saves drivers up to 30% commute time, according to German study
    March 29, 2012
    According to independent research conducted by the German Aerospace Centre (DLR), products powered by TomTom’s HD Traffic reduce average drive times by 13 per cent and up to 30 per cent in congested areas. HD Traffic is the company’s real-time traffic technology and is used in products ranging from portable navigation devices (PNDs), smartphones, automobile infotainment systems, and government traffic management centres. In addition to reduced commute times, the study showed that TomTom outperforms the comp