Car sharing is caring

As students return to school and are greeted by the harsh Buffalo winter, those without wheels are made slaves to the university bus system. But luckily for them, an alternative mode of transportation is now available that allows access to not only the UB community, but the entire Queen City.
It's based on a concept imposed since kindergarten - sharing.
The idea started in 2007 when visionaries in the school of urban planning entered an entrepreneurial competition with a for-profit car-sharing model. Although they advanced to the finals, the group unfortunately did not win because the New York State insurance market had not yet embraced the concept of car sharing.
When the students switched to a non-profit service, they were awarded insurance backing. With the help of a grant provided by the New York State Energy Research and Development Agency and the Department of Transportation, Buffalo CarShare opened for business in June.
Eight months, seven Toyotas and 175 members later, BCS has provided Buffalonians with an inexpensive and environmentally friendly alternative to private vehicle ownership.
Adam Blair, a senior environmental design major and founding research associate for BCS, explains how it works.
'You can sign up for as little as $5 a month. As long as you have two years' driving experience [without] any major infractions, we'll pass you through,' said Blair. 'To reserve a car, you can go online or call. We issue you your own key fob [to access the car], and then you return it to the same spot where you picked it up.'
Car sharing is ideal for those who don't own a vehicle, but need one for the occasional errand or doctor's appointment - the reason why Creighton Randall, an urban planning graduate student and BCS's founding director, considers Buffalo a perfect market for it.
'Over 31 percent of households in Buffalo do not own a car. That is higher than almost every other medium-sized city in the country,' said Randall. 'Despite popular opinion, we have a decent transit system and people living near downtown can generally get around on the bus or train, so we have the conditions that pair well with car sharing.'
With the UB bus system and a number of students without vehicles, BCS has recently begun reaching out to the university. One of its newest additions is a 2009 Toyota Yaris parked near South Campus's Townsend Lot.
Emily Bauer, a senior ecology and evolutionary biology major, has been a BCS member for two months and finds the South Campus hub particularly handy.
'Since I live off campus, BSC allows me [the chance] to grab groceries and run
other errands at my convenience, instead of relying solely on public transportation and other rides,' said Bauer. 'BCS is affordable and allows students without a car to have access to the
Buffalo community and all its shops, services and entertainment opportunities.'
Bauer, who has utilized similar car sharing programs in other cities, is happy that Buffalo is following suit.
'More car share programs in more cities mean people will have less of a reliance on their vehicles, which is good for the environment, the community and their wallet,' she said.
Bauer's point is valid, according to AAA. They found that car-sharing members typically drive 20 to 40 percent less.
'When you buy a car, you're already paying for it so you drive it [frequently] to get your money's worth,' Blair said. 'If you flip that [model] and pay for your car by the hour, you're going to try to do more things all in one trip.'
As more people come to realize its environmental and money-saving benefits, BCS continues to grow. A fifth of its current membership is affiliated with the university, and BCS seeks to expand on this number in the future.
For more information, visit www.BuffaloCarShare.org.
'We hope to reach out to Amherst and work with the university to put hubs on North Campus,' Blair said.


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