[Shorty]

It looks like Toyota will be starting a trial car sharing service in Tokyo for a 10 month period starting in June. They will use 60 C-HR units, through one of their car sharing platforms that currently uses more than 20,000 vehicles, serving over 900,000 members. I know its only a matter of time before these kinds of programs become more prominent here in the North America.

 

[TubeMan]

How would the car sharing work and is it kind of like the normal car rental? Wouldn't be very useful if it's similar to Uber but with a different pay structure.

 

[Shorty]

It basically lets you rent a car for an hourly fee, with vehicles parked at convenient locations around the city. More similar to Enterprise than it is to Uber, with much shorter intervals.

 

[sho23]

Or zipcar?

 

[TubeMan]

Think I saw something like that in my travels, though the cars were the size of Smart Cars and the allotted space on the street allowed for two vehicles only. They were just parked there with some kind of pay guide. Interesting idea so long as there's parking space available.

 

[Toyotaterry]

It's a smart move to utilize new models in these kinds of programs, as it'll allow interested buyers to test out the model, without making a trip to the dealer. Car subscription services are also beginning to be offered by most automakers, and the pricing seems to be decent.

 

[sho23]

Works best when you live in a metro area with plenty of public transit - since you only need a car for a trip.

 

[SiR]

Works best when you live in a metro area with plenty of public transit - since you only need a car for a trip.

That's exactly what I have been telling other people about making the best of owning a vehicle, sometimes its just better to hop on rapid transit than to drive. Biggest problem is some people don't want to leave their cars even for part of the trip.

 

[sho23]

That's exactly what I have been telling other people about making the best of owning a vehicle, sometimes its just better to hop on rapid transit than to drive. Biggest problem is some people don't want to leave their cars even for part of the trip.

because US oil industry successfully ruined many public transportation options... in my 2 weeks in Japan, a train station was never more than 15 mins walk, and the train was never more than 5-10 minutes away.

 

[Shorty]

Yeah I don't know why cities with less than stellar public transportation options aren't investing more into initiatives like this. For many who live in downtown cores, its just a waste of money to bother owning your own vehicle. But I could see people using a car sharing service on a as needed basis.

 

[sho23]

Yeah I don't know why cities with less than stellar public transportation options aren't investing more into initiatives like this. For many who live in downtown cores, its just a waste of money to bother owning your own vehicle. But I could see people using a car sharing service on a as needed basis.

My grandma in LA area used to just use the public electric tram thing around town. Gives her flexibility and independence. Then they were bought over and demolished. haha.

 

[LClark007]

Such a really interesting and useful idea ! i think it’s would really useful especially for the tourists, i just came back home after my Vacation to Odessa, Ukraine and to be honest it was really nice trip and i enjoyed the hot sand of the beach but the only problem i faced when i wanted to rent a car by the traditional from an office in airport, i had the problem with the contract because it was in ukrainan and i just didn’t want to sign on something i don’t really understand until i finally meet an american guy who is living there and told me about Rental Car in Ukraine - Budget & Best car hire | NarsCars to rent car easier by just a phone, after all it solved but if there’s a car sharing system like this one in Tokyo, it would easier for sure.