A kibbutz for drivers: Israel’s alternative to car rentals
Why rent a car when you can share one? That’s the concept behind Car2Go, a new Israeli company that some have billed as a kibbutz for motorists.
Car sharing isn’t a new idea. Zipcar, a Cambridge, Mass., company, already allows people to car-share in the States.
But Car2Go operates slightly differently, according to the Green Prophet blog. You become a member and get an electronic card, which grants you access to Car2go’s car fleet.
Before using a car, you reserve it online or by phone. You pick up the car at a designated spot (accessing it with your electronic member car), use it for however long you want, and then return the car to the same spot when you’re done.
So how is this like a kibbutz, a collective community where members shared everything? Basically the car sharing scheme works in the same way as car rental in that the vehicles are rented by the hour, according to the UK’s Green Car blog. However, it removes the needs for private ownership, especially for those who only use a vehicle on rare occasions.
With gas prices still relatively high, car sharing is a concept that is bound to catch on — if not in the U.S., then internationally. In the long-term, if travelers can’t learn to share resources, there may not be anything left to own.
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