A Bay Area Nonprofit

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FAQs

How does it work? back to top

Carsharing gives you self-serve access to a network of locally placed vehicles at unstaffed locations, for hourly use. Your usage rates always include gas, maintenance, and premium insurance. We have hundreds of cars in San Francisco, Berkeley, Oakland, Alameda, Daly City, Albany, and El Cerrito.

When your staff signs up, each employee get an electronic key fob that provides secure access to all our cars, which are shared with other members. They just make a reservation online or by phone, access the car with his or her key fob, and drive away. It’s that simple.

Why do people like it so much? back to top

City CarShare, a Bay Area nonprofit, reduces your driving costs and gives your employees access to cars without the hassles of car ownership. In addition, by sharing cars, City CarShare members make a positive impact on our environment and help improve quality of life in the Bay Area. When your employees take transit or carpool to work and then use City CarShare during the day when they need a car for work, you will be providing a way to reduce air pollution in the Bay Area by encouraging a healthier commute for your staff.

Plus, the convenience and reliability of City CarShare are unparalleled. Gas, premium insurance, maintenance, cleaning, and even reserved parking are all included — plus you get access to different kinds of cars like hybrids, MINI Coopers, trucks and vans. Match your trip with the type of car you need.

How do I sign up my business and employees? back to top

It’s easy to join. Select the business plan that’s best for you and fill out the business application. We’ll set up your account and send you your business account number in an email. Give this number to any staff you approve as drivers on your account. Each staff fills out his or her own Employee Application using your account number.

I love the low cost, but why is there an hourly and a mileage fee? back to top

Our fee structure saves you money. If we charged a flat rate per hour, people who drive locally would be subsidizing people who drive longer distances. Yet we know from our records that most City CarShare trips are local: averaging 3¼ hours and 12-18 miles. So we’ve chosen a pricing strategy that benefits the majority of our members. Plus our reservations are booked in 15-minute increments, so you never have to pay for a full hour you don’t need. Our strategy also promotes more efficient driving, freeing up cars for sharing and benefiting our environment by lowering emissions, using less gas, and reducing congestion.

What does it cost to take a trip in a City CarShare vehicle? back to top

The cost of a trip depends on your needs. We keep our hourly fee low because we know that 90% of carsharing trips are local (i.e. low mileage) but may require a few hours to complete. You may need to use a car for a meeting across town, so with our rate structure the lower hourly fee benefits your business when the car is sitting idle.

How do I pay? back to top

We have a monthly billing system. Businesses may be invoiced and pay by check or PO. Or you can pay automatically with your business credit card. Bills can be e-mailed or mailed.

How can I track employee driving and usage? back to top

All employees’ driving appears on one monthly invoice for easy tracking — including employee name, cost, the vehicle used, the time of the trip, and the distance traveled —and even a short note, like a project code, describing the purpose for the trip (if the employee notes it on his or her reservation.) Our bills include a subtotal for each of your employees’ driving, so you can easily see which employees have been using the cars. The account manager has the authority to add to or terminate driving privileges from the business account at any time.

Can I sign up for business and personal use? back to top

Yes! Any employee, whether they are a driver on your business account or not, can add personal use and we waive the application fee. Business and personal use are billed separately. To sign up for business and personal use, first fill out an Employee Application. On the application, the employees choose which personal use plan they want to join.

If your employee is not a driver on your account, but wants to join for personal use and skip the application fee, have him or her fill out a ShareLocal, SharePlus or Share-a-Little personal use application. They need to put EMP + your business account number in the promo field. We’ll waive their application fee and set up a personal account for them.

Did you say I could reserve cars in 15-minute increments? back to top

You bet. Need to pick up a business partner from the airport? Or submit a proposal across town? Reserve for less than hour. Or if you’re going across the Golden Gate Bridge and are worried about delays, add an extra 15 minutes onto your reservation and lower your stress. It all adds up to convenience and savings for you.

Can I make one-way trips? back to top

No. But you won’t have to look for end-of-trip parking because you always return the car to its original location at the end of the reservation.

Can I switch plans? back to top

Yes! You can switch plans to match your needs anytime.

What about insurance? back to top

Glad you asked. City CarShare has one of the best insurance plans in the industry. You’re covered for up to $1,000,000 per incident. Chances are you can’t get better coverage than that! All you’re responsible for is a $500 deductible if you have an accident. If you want to lower that deductible to $50, choose Buck-to-Deduct each time you reserve a car. It’s just $1 per hour.

Do you have premium cars? back to top

City CarShare offers many types of cars. All of our vehicles are at or near the top of their class for fuel efficiency and low emissions.

Are there fees I should be aware of? back to top

Carsharing means sharing, and we’re all relying on each other to take care of the cars, drive responsibly, and be respectful of each other. All carsharing organizations have fees associated with the occasional glitch. For example, you should never smoke in our cars. Ever. We’ll assign a charge (and maybe a cleaning fee) if you do. Or, if you’re returning a car but running late, we might have to assign an “inconvenience fee” (although we’ll bend over backwards to help you avoid it). To see a full list of fees and credits, click here. 

Why is City CarShare a nonprofit? back to top

City CarShare has a unique and important role as a nonprofit. We encourage the growth of socially responsible carsharing — even among our competitors. We lead efforts to integrate carsharing into the transportation network and incorporate carsharing in new real estate developments and neighborhoods. As a nonprofit, we never have to make a decision to earn an extra dollar for investors. In fact, we strive to keep our fees low so our service is accessible to as many people as possible. And as a local nonprofit, we put every dollar earned right back into the community and are committed to prioritizing community over profit. It’s a mission-driven model that works best for carsharing.

Ever since our launch in 2001, City CarShare has been dedicated to reducing individual car ownership and driving. Through carsharing, City CarShare and you — our members — reduce congestion, greenhouse emissions, and dependence on foreign oil while contributing to the greening of our cities. Together, we enable more responsible land use and encourage greater use of alternative transportation. And we do it all while lowering the cost of mobility and providing a convenient, reliable service to our members.

Need more answers? Contact us.