Having a shared car is more than enough when it comes to most things in daily life. Car sharing – as an addition to public transport – is a good option for running errands, leisure activities or commuting to work.
Vorarlberg currently has a system of station-based car sharing. This means that cars need to be returned to the location where they were collected. Most of the vehicles are e-cars. There is a charging station at every location where an e-car-sharing vehicle can be borrowed. The car is plugged back in after use to ensure that the next user has enough electrical power for their journey.
The benefits at a glance
You do not need to take the car-sharing vehicle to a mechanic; you do not need to worry about getting the MOT done or buying a toll sticker; and you do not need to worry about cleaning it either. The costs for the car-sharing vehicle are very transparent, whereas these are often difficult to see when you have your own car. Costs such as insurance, fuel, etc., are included in the fees. The locations are usually centrally placed in local communities, at railway stations or even directly on site in the case of larger housing estates.
10,000 km as a rule of thumb
Anyone who needs to travel less than 10,000 km by car each year is usually better off with (e-)car sharing. What’s more: Private cars in Austria spend average of 23 hours day parked somewhere, and second cars even more. Time to change!