Buffalo CarShare
Buffalo CarShare is a non-profit organization located in Buffalo, NY. The development of this organization began in the summer of 2008. Buffalo CarShare is an organization that attempts to bring useful benefits throughout the city of Buffalo and its surroundings. Their mission statement is “to provide affordable, community-based car sharing services that benefit the environment through practical innovation."
The Buffalo CarShare become a product of the movement from fossil fuels to more efficient alternative energies just like so many other initiatives that have been springing up all across the US and the world. Having a CarSharing program in any city has giving many residents the opportunity to make the decision to either maintain the costs and use of a personal vehicle or strive using mass transportation and reducing their spending on an automobile. Many CarSharing programs have been introduced to many cities around the world and have fared quite well by a particular sector of the city population. "Since 1994, a total of 40 programs have been deployed—28 are operating in 36 urban areas, and 12 are now defunct". Shaheen, Susan " Carsharing in North America, Market Growth, Current Developments, and Future Potential" 2005. The City of Buffalo would be an ideal location for success of a car sharing program.
Its main goals are threefold; environmentally they seek to reduce CO2 emissions and vehicles miles traveled, cost reduction of car ownership and as well as socially by providing a healthier alternative lifestyle.
History
"The history of Car Sharing is not lengthy but nonetheless seems to have made presence in cities that support such initiatives. Carsharing started in the United States in March 1998, with the launch of CarSharing Portland Inc. in Portland, Oregon. Earlier in North America, Benoit Robert launched in Quebec City in 1994 and Tracey Axelsson started the Cooperative Auto Network (CAN) in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1997. Since then several other carsharing organizations (CSOs) have been formed in North America. Two for-profit companies, Flexcar, based in Seattle, and Zipcar, based in Boston, account for the majority of the vehicles in service in the US; with CommunAuto, serving Montreal & Quebec, being the largest carsharing provider in Canada. Large, growing non-profit or cooperative carsharing services are located in San Francisco, Philadelphia and Vancouver, British Columbia. These services are based on a European model, which started simultaneously but independently in 1987 in Berlin and Lucerne, Switzerland, and focus on individual members, and charging for usage both by time (hourly or half-hourly) and distance (mile or kilometer). Vehicles are geographically distributed in reserved parking spaces, typically offstreet, through neighborhoods, putting one or more vehicles within easy walking or bicycling distance of the primary users, individual household members. Gasoline and insurance coverage is included in the rates. Although some variation in policies and procedures exists among different CSOs, all strive to provide a level of convenience as close to owning a car as possible – especially with easy reservations by phone or web and simple, unattended vehicle access". Brook, David "Carsharing – Start Up Issues and New Operation Models 2004
Car Sharing in Buffalo begin in the early 2007 when four Engineering and MBA students at University at Buffalo developed a business plan as part of the Panasci Technology Entrepreneurship Competition. During this time, it was not yet recognized to be an embraced concept of Car Sharing.
About a year later, the students from University at Buffalo began to revive the concept as a non-profit service organization, and the insurance "hurdle" was passed in the summer of 2008. Since June 2008, volunteers have been advancing bringing this concept towards reality. News coverage
Support
Buffalo CarShare have a few organizations that show interest of their idea and showed support. Some of these organizations include:
- Green Options Buffalo
- Allentown Association
- Wellness Institute
- Buffalo First
- Buffalo Rising
- Ithaca CarShare
- GBNRTC
- Elmwood Village Association
- News Channel 2
- NFTA
- City of Buffalo
Future Outlook
Buffalo CarShare is currently engaged in a growing process. With this said, they hope to follow their future plans of introducing the idea and concept of car sharing in Buffalo, specifically the towns in Buffalo such as Allentown and Elmwood. Car Sharing, although a growing industry, has been successful in other cities such as Austin, TX,Boulder, CO, Chicago, IL, Cleveland, OH, Ithaca, NY, Philadelphia, PA, San Francisco, CA, Toronto, and Vancouver.
Buffalo CarShare was announced to be launched in Spring 2009. Until then, they encourage the Buffalo community to become members of Buffalo CarShare and participate in what they offer or what they would offer to their future customers. One of the initiatives of the Buffalo CarShare is to allow the people to feel comfortable with choosing an automobile and not feel a burden on their shoulders. Members rent vehicles on an hourly basis for errands or irregular trip, while relying on positive factors of Car Sharing such as other modes of transportation (such as walking, bicycling, taking transit or carpooling) for their daily commute.
The Buffalo CarShare has set up a system for existing and non-existing members that includes the cost of gas and a small charge of mileage, insurance, and maintenance in the rental. To ensure that the range of costs are affordable to provide for their members and are a satisfactory for members, some cars have been discussed such as the Toyota Prius and Yaris, Honda Fit, Chevy Aveo, Smart Car (Passion) and various hybrid models.
Media Coverage
Negatives of Car Sharing
A major issue that car sharing fail to look at is providing affordable sharing opportunity for residents that are financially unstable. Car sharing is an initiative for environmental improvements as well as social promotion. Car Sharing has yet to succeed in this aspect of it goals. The interesting feature for any Car Sharing program is the low cost to members but the difficulty can be in including those possible members that are in financial difficulties.