The People's Car Co-op

On Friday, representatives from Grand River CarShare, formerly known as the People’s Car Co-op, rolled out their car sharing service in Cambridge.For the last decade, residents of Kitchener and Waterloo have shared a fleet of co-operatively owned cars to meet their travel needs. The newest location for this growing fleet id the University of Waterloo School of Architecture.“Many residents feel stuck with the automobile because of the way our sprawling cities have developed,” said Jason Hammond, President at Grand River CarShare. “Car sharing allows drivers to use more sustainable modes more often, knowing that the convenience of a car is available when it is most necessary, without the hassles and expense of ownership.”The service was incorporated in 1998. The new operating name, Grand River CarShare, is designed to reflect the regional growth of the service, and highlight the environmental effects of car sharing, Hammond said. More tan 160 people use the system to share vehicles, booking cars for their exclusive use at 10 self-serve locations throughout the region. “Hammond believes the service is definitely needed in Cambridge by people who either can’t afford a car or just want the occasional use of a vehicle.“We are a natural compliment to the GRT, we provide people with and alternate form of public transportation,” he said.The rates charged include gas, maintenance and repairs. Rates are reduced on longer trips.For further information, contact Hammond at 578-1895.

-Ray Martin

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September 22, 2007 The RECORD

Car-free living has its day

It's admirable, in a lost cause kind of way, how hard some people are working to get us out of our cars.

Several public events this week will stress why it's better for people to walk, cycle or take public transit.

In Kitchener, a car-free festival will be held from noon to 5 p.m. today in Victoria Park.

In Cambridge, three public meetings next week will hear from the public about bicycle lanes.

Yesterday, an organization that lets members share cars, called Grand River CarShare, launched its first location in Cambridge.

There are good reasons to reconsider our addiction to driving.

Cars are costly to buy, insure and repair. We know they pollute, that driving too much keeps us out of shape, and that building neighbourhoods to serve cars requires land for roads, driveways and garages.

Yet automobiles rule, because if you have one, you can go where you want, when you want, in the way you want.

Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty understands our love affair.

"In an ideal world, I'd get you out of your car and you'd never use it again," he recently told The Record.

"But I don't live in that world. I live in this one. And the fact of the matter is that, for a tremendous number of Ontarians, Canadians and North Americans, the car is a wonderful place of privacy and convenience."

The residents of Waterloo Region build cars and car parts. They drive everywhere, all the time. This is not about to change.

Almost all of us drive to work. Most of us are alone in our car.

A 1999 study estimates automobile traffic will rise 32 per cent by 2016, even if transit ridership doubles, the number of people walking doubles, and the number of cyclists triples, over the same period.

My advice to advocates who want us to abandon our cars is to go ahead and knock yourself out. Your best bet is to encourage change in a positive way, while being very, very patient.

This means pressing for faster public transit, seeking more cycling lanes where feasible, and adding sidewalks. It means reconsidering how we design neighbourhoods, to encourage other ways to get around.

The wrong approach is to press politicians to stop building roads, to bug drivers and make it more unpleasant for them to drive. This will irk many people and frame change in a negative way.

Also, trying to guilt people into getting out of their cars is a losing approach. People will shrug off lectures about evil drivers killing the planet, blah, blah, blah.

For meaningful change to happen, people have to want it. They have to choose to change.

There's just no evidence today that people want to stop driving their cars. Eventually, perhaps. But don't hold your breath.

Road Ahead is a weekly examination of traffic and transportation issues.

-Jeff Outhit

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September 21, 2007- UW Daily Bulletin

Day of peace, and day of fewer cars

One student’s last-minute efforts will bring pinwheels to the centre of campus today as a celebration of peace.

“It is a little known fact,” writes Nick Petten of psychology, “that in 1981 the General Assembly at the United Nations in New York passed a resolution to recognize September 21 as the International Day of Peace. Personally, I just realized this yesterday and I've been talking about it ever since. I found that nobody knows about this day. It would be a shame if the day passed without any recognition of peace and all the peace movements that occur throughout the world.

“To resolve a burning desire to honor peace this Friday, I've created an impromptu event called Peace Day at UW. The students at UW will be on the B2 Green — between the Math Building, the Student Life Centre and the Biology 2 Building — to plant Pinwheels for Peace to create a visual display that we are all working towards peace on earth and a global ceasefire.”

He urges everybody across campus: “Come stop by the B2 Green, create a pinwheel and plant it to show your willingness to honour peace throughout the world.”

On another socially conscious front, Car-Free Days are under way in the community, backed by the UW-based Waterloo Public Interest Research Group. And an event to mark the occasion in an unusual way is taking place this morning at the UW Architecture building in Cambridge.

“The latest tool available in the fight against automobile addiction” is the car itself, says Jason Hammond, president of Grand River CarShare, which will launch its 10th self-service location at the Architecture building on Melville Street. “Carsharing allows drivers to use more sustainable modes more often,” he explains, “knowing that the convenience of a car is available when it is most necessary.”

"The car co-op is another accessible and environmentally conscious transportation choice for UW Architecture students," said Darcy Higgins, vice-president (internal) of the UW Federation of Students. "Partnering this service with the new universal bus pass makes a great combination." The media event is set for 10:00 this morning at Architecture.

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Sep 14, 2007 – Cambridge Times

People's Car riding into city

A unique alternative mode of transportation will soon be coming to Cambridge.

"It's taken longer than any of us expected, but here we are," said Dave Steffler, People's Car executive director. "We're now working with the university and interest in our service is growing."

On Sept. 21, the People's Car Co-op will officially launch its service in Cambridge. The launch has been three years in the making, according to Steffler.People's Car is a service designed for people who either can't afford a car and its upkeep, or only need the occasional use of a vehicle.Car sharing, while relatively new to Cambridge and Waterloo Region has been in use in Europe for decades.

In late 2004, the Cambridge Self-Help Food Bank was in talks with People's Car organizers to start the service here, but the project never got off the ground.Co-op organizers have now hooked up with the University of Waterloo School of Architecture to get their service rolling in Cambridge."A lot of people get us confused with car pooling," Steffler said. "In Cambridge, we could see this service being used by all sorts of people, university students or low-income people who might need a car to get to something like a job interview," he said.

Two weeks prior to the official opening, Steffler said approximately six people have signed up for the co-op, two of which are university students and the rest are interested residents."Jeff Lederer, general manager at the school, has been very supportive and thinks it's a great addition to the university," Steffler said. "Officials at the City of Cambridge have also been very supportive and we're hoping they will get involved, like the City of Waterloo and Kitchener have."Started almost a decade ago in Kitchener, People's Co-operative Inc. is one of a handful of car sharing co-operatives in Ontario.

The venture started with a single vehicle and the fleet has since grown."We believe there is a need for a service like ours in Cambridge," said Steffler. "We are a natural complement to the GRT, we provide people with an alternate form of public transportation.

"People's Car service members can make a reservation 24/7 with a phone call or by using the online reservation service system. The reservations can be for as little as an hour at a time or for as long as you need.When the reservation is made, the member picks up the car at a preferred location and takes it back at an agreed time. Trip logs record time and distance travelled for each member so that members can be billed monthly. The rates include gas, maintenance and repairs.

For more information, visit www.peoplescar.org or, call 578-1895.

-Ray Martin

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June 5, 2006 - The Record

Car co-op launches bike network

The People's Car co-op is branching out into bikes, just in time for Clean Air Day on Wednesday.

Co-op members will be able to help themselves to a bicycle just about any time they need one, from any one of seven depots scattered around Kitchener and Waterloo.

People's Car has been operating in Kitchener and Waterloo since 1998, and the Bike Share Network has been on the planning table for a while.

"We'd been thinking about doing this for a long time," said Dave Steffler, the project services manager for People's Car. "We wanted to fashion a more multi-faceted modal transportation network in Kitchener-Waterloo, one where the buses, the car-share and bike-share are all linked.

"That's our vision.

"We're hoping to plant the seeds for the municipalities to develop a biking infrastructure."

The non-profit corporation had wanted to have the bicycles ready for Earth Day, on April 22, but ran out of time.

"We put in a lot of volunteer hours fixing up the bikes, and there was a lot of time invested in the liability issues and taking the time to set up the in administration infrastructure," Steffler said.

But now, with Clean Air Day just around the corner, 30 reconditioned bikes are ready to go.

The bikes were all donated, many to Recycle Cycle in Kitchener, while others were literally rescued from landfill sites.

"We had considered painting them all the same colour, but it was so much work just refurbishing them, we left them the colours they were, with one of our stickers," he said.

To use the bikes, riders must be 18 and pay a one-time fee of $20 -- a fee that's refunded if people drop out of the co-op. Members will be given a universal key that will unlock the bikes.

For now, the co-op is having members reserve their bikes, either online or by giving the People's Car office a call. But once the program gets up and running that rule may be relaxed.

Bike-share programs are well established in Europe, particularly in Germany, and work well even in northern cities such as Helsinki, where snowplows clear the bike trails.

"If it can work there, it can work here," Steffler said.

For now, the bike-share program will end in mid-November and restart in the spring.

Canada's first bike-share program has been operating for several years in Toronto.

Currently, People's Car has 140 members and seven fuel-efficient cars. Each member has a master key to a lockbox on the car, but must reserve a time and date to use one of the cars.

Car co-op members must be 25 and pay according to use, in addition to a one-time membership fee and monthly insurance charges.

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Nov 10, 2005 - The Record

Car co-op seeks new investors

The People's Car Co-op is turning to an innovative fundraising scheme to help finance operations.

The co-op issued debentures to raise $10,000 and will pay five per cent interest compounded over the three-year term of the debenture.

Kate Busse, general manager of the co-op, said the money could be used for downpayments to buy new cars or to pay for new promotional programs the co-op would like to launch.

Busse said the interest rate the co-op is offering is better than most guaranteed investment certificates. Investment opportunities are open to members and non-members, but are limited to $1,000 each.

The co-operative looked to debentures after being turned down for a loan from a credit union where it has done its banking.

"We never missed a payment on any of the loans we've had," Busse said, "but they felt we weren't a good risk."

"This is still a relatively new enterprise and it is difficult for us to access money through traditional sources," she said. "The banks won't touch us."

The co-op has raised about half of the $10,000 it needs so far and potential investors have until Nov. 30 to make an investment.

The co-op owns three cars and leases another three.

The car co-op allows people access to a car when they need it without having to own one themselves.

Co-op members pay a membership fee and a fee each time they use a car.

While most members are area residents, some live in Toronto but visit Waterloo Region often and want to use a car when they are in the area.

About 50 per cent of members don't own a car.

"Sharing tends to reduce car use by 30-50 per cent and it reduces traffic, emissions, the need for parking areas and all of those good things," Busse said.

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Sept. 25, 2004 - The Record

Car co-op wraps up auto-free week

Today is Car Share Saturday, the final day of a week of automobile-free activities sponsored by The People's Car Co-op, a Kitchener-based non-profit co-operative promoting the reduction of car use.

The week began with Mobility Monday, and continued through Two-wheel Tuesday, Walking Wednesday, Transit Thursday and Fitness Friday.

The co-op, which now has four cars that are stationed at various points on major routes through Kitchener and Waterloo, is also celebrating an infusion of funds, said manager Dave Steffler.

Almost $30,000 has come from the federal government's co-operative development initiative, $2,500 from the United Way and $5,000 from Waterloo Region's National Child Benefit new project development fund.

(The regional fund accrues from National Child Benefit allowances clawed back from local welfare recipients.)

Steffler said the money will go towards an innovative program called a transportation bank.

The program would be set up for people unable to afford the refundable $400 one-time membership loan that is necessary to join The People's Car Co-op.

The membership loan is needed to cover insurance and maintenance costs for the vehicles operated by the co-op, Steffler said.

The car-free week, which is known in other centres as In Town without a Car, is part of an international effort, spear-headed by the European Union, to cut down automobile use, Steffler said.

For more information about the local co-op, how to join, its history and vision, visit www.peoplescar.org. Or phone 578-1895.

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20 September 2004, The Record

Car-free celebration

By Lianne Elliott, The Record

The streets look very different here in Waterloo Region.

When Zorica Stevnovic moved from Eastern Europe, she was shocked by the region's love affair with cars, which statistics say is more enduring than most in Canada.

Stevnovic was surprised to see the roads jammed with people using their cars for errands and outings.

And she was amazed at the size of the vehicles, at the monstrous sport utility vehicles and vans.

"People drive a lot here," said Stevnovic of Cambridge, who left her home in the Serbian capital of Belgrade in 1992.

"Maybe it's because everything is far and driving is more convenient. Or maybe it's because it's colder here."

She was pondering Waterloo Region's car obsession at yesterday's Car-Free Day street festival in Kitchener's Victoria Park.

As children and parents flew around her on bicycles, inline skates and skateboards, Stevnovic said she wished people here walked and rode their bicycles more.

She said it was nice to see people packing the downtown core back in Belgrade, doing their daily shopping on foot. If they drove, they were most likely in compact, fuel-efficient cars.

Here, she said, people flock to malls, where they fight for a spot as close as possible to the doors.

She's not the only one to notice Waterloo Region's love of cars.

Dave Steffler, who helped organize yesterday's festival, said federal statistics have shown that people in this region use their cars more often than the rest of the country.

More people also own more cars here.

Steffler figures higher employment rates and income levels play a role, since more people here can afford to buy cars.

But perhaps the biggest factor for the car culture here is the sprawling borders and low-density neighbourhoods of Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge.

"It almost necessitates a high use of cars," said Steffler, who is with the People's Car Co-op, one of the environmental groups that held yesterday's event.

It was designed to promote green modes of transportation, such as cycling, public transit and walking.

It was the first event in a week of activities grouped in a festival called In Town Without A Car, which coincides with International Car Free Day on Wednesday.

At yesterday's event, people got to ride on bicycle obstacle courses, play in a portable skateboard park and test drive unusual bicycles, including a plush love-seat couch on four bicycle wheels.

There was also a chance to meet with environmental groups and learn about green transportation.

Steffler said public information is key to changing people's car habits. If adults learn about the health and environmental benefits of bicycling, walking and riding the bus, they might be tempted to leave their cars at home.

And if children are taught about the importance of green transportation, perhaps they'll push their parents to give it a try.

Steffler also said politicians and city officials need to make alternative transportation a priority.

He said there should be more bicycle lanes, car-pool parking lots and perhaps even tax breaks for people who buy bicycles or businesses who buy transit passes for their employees.

Edgar Bustos and his family would love to see Victoria Park closed to cars every Sunday, just as it was for yesterday's festival. The family used to love bicycling through Central Park in their native New York City on Sundays, when cars were kept out.

"It gets more people out on their bicycles," said Bustos, who moved from New York a month ago.

Jenny Cochrane would also love to see more people get out on their bikes.

The mother of two got by without a car until someone gave her one as a gift last month.

"I feel sick about it," said Cochrane. She was joking, but she's not fond of cars.

"People use their cars so much because they get lazy. It's easy to change. You just have to do it. Just get out of your car."

IN TOWN WITHOUT A CAR

Events being held for the festival this week include:

Today: Panel discussion on designing an accessible city, 12 to 1:30 p.m., University of Waterloo, Student Life Centre.

Tomorrow: Recycle Cycles, a bicycle resource centre, celebrates grand opening with food, prizes, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 43 Queen St. S., Kitchener.

Wednesday: Panel discussion on role of pedestrians and cyclists in downtown revitalization, 12 to 1:30 p.m., Kitchener City Hall, Schmaltz Room.

Thursday: Discount day at Grand River Transit, two people can ride a bus for the price of one.

Thursday: Speaker Trudi Bunting of the University of Waterloo talks about downtown cores in mid-sized cities, 7 to 9 p.m., Adult Recreation Centre, 185 King St. W., Waterloo.

For more information, visit .www.communityevents.ca

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18 October 2001, Echo Magazine

National Co-op Week: Region celebrates with... Car Co-op

In an age when an increasing number of people are concerned about the lack of business accountability among transnational corporations, co-operatives offer an alternative that is as practical as they are idealistic. They are an important community response in the age of globalization – and they have been in Ontario for more than 140 years and in Waterloo Region for more than half of a century.

In order to celebrate the strength of co-ops in the region as well as their new website, the Waterloo Region Co-op Council will be hosting a public event at the Kitchener City Hall Rotunda on Tuesday October 16.

It will be just one of many held throughout the country as past of National Co-op Week.

Regionally, co-ops exist in the housing, food, credit unions, insurance, transportation, daycare, employment, agricultural, and community service sectors.

Some co-ops1 like The Cambridge Community Food Co—op are strictly non—profit, in 1999 they had 1,187 volunteers providing over 20,000 hours of service through their Self-Help Food Bank. Other co-ops such as the Waterloo Regional Credit Union with millions of dollars in assets. Some. Co-ops look very much like other businesses while others possess an unmistakable radical or alternative flair. But all co-ops have one thing in common: they are jointly owned and democratically controlled by their members.

These include the small handful of volunteers at Ebytown Food Co--op as well as the 4000 local member producers at Gay Lea Dairy.

Members most often hold stock at the business as well as have an opportunity to participate in the management and running of the business or organization. This is beneficial to the local economy as well as the members owners, since the money most often remains at the local level.

The 58 co-ops in the region are compiled at the newly launched Waterloo Region Co-op Council. The website can be found at www.wrccop.ca. There is also general information on co-ops in the region as well as background on the co-op flag and a brief history of the movement.

The city hall event will include music, non-alcoholic wine and cheese, a paper quilt and displays representing co-ops from across the region. There will also be a silent auction and at seven p.m. Russ Christianson of Rhythm Communications will speak on the "Role of Co-ops in Community."

Those interested in the City Hall celebrations or in the co-op movement in general should contact either Linda Nagel at 886-0662 or Peter Cameron at 1-888-745-5521.

The Case of Car Co-ops

For Marc Xuereb, co-ops serve a practical purpose as well as having an ideological basis. As a founder of the People's Car Co-op, he is- helping change the way people think about transportation in Waterloo Region.

The way the co-op works is that-members get the use of a car without needing to buy one. This is important practically as well as it is financially.

It began when a friend offered Marc and his partner a "free" car and they realized that they could not afford that considering the price of repairs, insurance and upkeep. So they began looking for ways to share the car with friends who found themselves in the same financial position.

They soon after incorporated themselves as a company in order to be able to insure the vehicle for multiple users. it thus became the first car sharing co-op in Ontario in 1998.

Around that time, Xuereb found himself in the free trade debates taking place around North America. These debates quickly outgrew questions about the agreements themselves and became more about what kind of economic system people wanted to live within.

In a time when neo-liberal economics are the only system treated credibly within the media and much of academia, co-ops are an important example of living out what people believe economics should be about. This includes the belief that people should have a true stake in the economic decisions affecting the institutions they live within.

Xuereb's first experience with co-ops was with Ebytown Forrd Co-op. But again, his original interest was political. It was more his new interest in vegetarianism and food grown locally that drew him to Ebytown than its organizing structure. But that quickly took hold.

Xuereb became a member at Ebytown because it became cheaper to shop there. But in an interview conducted-through email, Xuereb pointed out that as he "looked into it, I discovered the reality that 1 was now an equal owner of the business along with anyone who had been a member since its inception twenty years earlier. That meant I could exert as much control as I chose to over basic business issues as what kind of products we stocked in the store, how much to charge for them, etc. That really spoke to my own ideals of economic democracy."

For Xuereb, co-ops are "really a compromise with capitalism.." There needs to be a "market" for what the co-op is producing for it to be successful. He suggests that in order to operate with a harsh business environment, the co-op-must be prepared to sell itself as a business venture. At the same time, co-ops can learn to "market" their identity. For example, in an age when people are frustrated with "business as usual," they can turn to co-ops where they can influence decisions that are made, supporting fair wages, ethical product sourcing and environmental production.

As well all sustained, political projects as well as business plans, Xuereb takes along view. He sees co-ops as introducing choice into an economic system where normally there is little.

Since people have a greater say in the running of their corporation there is more room for them to look at options other than the bottom line of paying people as little as possible

So by extension as more people participate in co-op, they will have a larger role in the community: in the end according to Xuereb: "Co-ops create different structure that ultimately will help people make more ethical decisions."

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17 October 2001, Waterloo Chronicle

New Cars, Marketing & Business Plan Drive PCC

If things work out for The People*s Car Co-operative the way its own business plan predicts, hundreds of people in this region will be car sharing within a few years.

The co-op released elements of its business plan to the public on its web site this week, and it projects the business to grow to 18 vehi-cles and 200 members by 2005, the point at which the co-op is projected to break even.

"We consider these pro-jections to be quite conserv-ative, frankly," boasts co-op manager Marc Xuereb. "The plan assumes that we will put four to five new cars on the road in each of the next four years. We*re going to do that this year, so surely as our name recognition grows, we will easily grow quicker than that."

The conservativeness of the plan is directed at poten-tial financiers whom the co-op hopes to attract within the next eight months to provide financing of up to $60,000 over three years. That is the projected growth period needed before the co-op will be financially profitable. The co-op plans to approach local credit unions, local governments, and alternative investment funds.

"We think we are a very safe investment, and one which will bring enormous social and environmental benefits to this region," adds Xuereb.

"Each car-sharing mem-ber reduces their private vehicle driving by 35 to 50 per cent, on average, so the bigger and faster we grow, the better for our environment."

The co-op has already seen tremendous changes in the past eight months.
Thanks to funding from sev-eral sources, including the City of Kitchener, Human Resources Development Canada, The Co-operators, The Ontario Trillium Foundation, and EcoAction Canada, the Co-op has been able to hire full-time staff, have a business plan writ-ten, and embark on more serious marketing.

Before that, the co-op had to rely on the volunteer energies of its members to get the word out about car sharing. Growth did occur, only much more slowly. Now the co-op has 45 members, and has just purchased its fourth car. As more people in the region turn to car shar-ing for their transportation needs, car locations are slowly beginning to cover the core area of the twin cities, from Conestoga Mall to Market Square. A pending deal with a major employer or two could accelerate that coverage.

Another development that could accelerate the growth of car sharing is a recent partnership with the newly-established Guelph Community Car Co-op.

The People's Car Co-operative is handling vehicle reservations for the nascent Guelph co-op, and will soon handle their member billing as well.

Eventually, some sort of formal merger may help both co-ops reach their break-even point quicker.

But the co-op hasn*t for-gotten about its co-opera-tive identity. Its business plan reminds co-op man-agement that members not only want to see a larger fleet and enhanced services, but value the co-operative structure.

Members want to see continued opportunities for participatory involvement and a greater education and advocacy role with both members and the community.

For more information about the co-op and how it works, see www.peoplescar.org, or call 578-1895.

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17 October 2001, The Record

Car Co-op Purchases 4th Vehicle

Hundreds of people will be shar-ing a pool of 18 cars in Waterloo Region within the next few years, predicts Marc Xuereb, manager of the People*s Car Co-operative.

The co-op has 45 members now and has just purchased its fourth car.

The business plan predicts a fleet of 18 cars and growth in membership to more than 200 by 2005.

By then, the co-op expects to be op-erating on a break-even basis with the proceeds from membership and user fees covering the cost of operating the co-op.

Car sharing has social and environ-mental benefits, Xuereb said.

"Each car-sharing member reduces their private vehicle driving by 35-50 per cent, so the bigger and faster we grow, the better for our environment."

After a modest start the co-op now has two part-time workers (the equiva-lent of one full-time job), a business plan and is embarking on more serious marketing.

Some members rely on the co-op for all of their car needs and others use the service when a second car in the family is needed.

This year the co-op has a budget of approximately $113,000.

Sources of income include $6,500 from the city of Kitchener, $4,500 from Co-operators Insurance, $27,000 from the Trillium Foundation, $3,000 from the Human Resources Development Canada, $30,000 from Environment Canada and $42,000 from membership fees and charges

Xuereb said the co-op plans to arrange a business loan at the end of April 2002 when grants are expected to run out.

That money would keep the organi-zation afloat until 2005 when it expects to break even and begin turning a prof-it that will be used to pay down the debt.

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23 May 2001, Waterloo Chronicle

People's Car Co-Op gets $30,000 funding boost

Christmas came early for the People's Car Co-Operative last week as the local car sharing organization received funding from both the federal government and Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC) totalling more than $30,000.

The $30,000 in federal funding, on behalf of the government's EcoAction program which provides financian backing to environmental initiatives, will help boost a project called "Moving People to Cleaner Air."

Since the project began in January, just under $96,000 has been raised through sources such as the Ontario Trillium Foundation, the Co-Operators, the City of Kitchener community infrastructure development program and the City of Waterloo.

The first four months were intended to help the non-profit co-op get its two existing vehicles up to capacity and write a business plan. The second portion of the project, beginning now, aims to give the co-op the necessary resources to increase its membershi from 33 to 80 and to expand to six vehicles, all within a year.

The co-op estimates the expansion will take 25 vehicles off the regioun's roads and reduce CO2 emissions by 98 tonnes.

If the brpgress towards their goals in the first four months is any indication, the co-op should have no problem reaching its expansion targets by the end of April 2002.

The addition of a part-time staff person in January enabled the co-op to bring its existing two vehicles up to capacity much sooner than expected, making the addition of a third car necessary much sooner.

"We had our first experience of not being able to keep uw with member demand in March and April, said co-op manager Mark Xuereb. "We had said in our proposals that we would add a third car in July, but we couldn't justify the wait to members."

So the co-op added a third vehicle to its fleet last week, a 1997 Ford Escort, with financing from the Waterloo Regional Credit Union.

Most recently, the co-op secured an office, located at 29 King St. E., in Kitchener, to deal with the increasing demand for its services. As well, HRDC recently provided the organisation with $3000 in funding to hure a summer student to cover some of the marketing and administrative duties.

"Everyone I've talked to about car sharing tells me it's an excellent idea, whether they think it can fit their own lifestyle or not," Xuereb explained.

"With the added resources of this project, we will be able to talk to more people and reach even more with marketing.

"Judging by the reaction of people so far, I'm confident that we'll see a tremendous increase in the number of car sharers in this region."

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22 May 2001, Kitchener Downtown News

Car co-op opens Kitchener office

The People's Car Co-Operative, which has been operating for the past three years in Waterloo, has now opened an office in Kitchener at 29 King St. E.

The People's Car Co-Operative (PCC) is a car sharing service in which members co-own all co-op vehicles.

The PCC is dedicated to demonstrating the benefits of co-operative services and to improving the environment by reducing individual car ownership.

Since January, the co-op has been busy fund-raising and gettin gits first two vehicles in good shape. Two weeks ago they added a third vehicle to their fleet, a 1997 Ford Escort. The plan is to have six vehicles by the end of the year. The co-op estimates that the expansion will take 25 vehicles off the Region's roads and reduce CO2 emissions by 98 tonnes.

"We had our first experience of not being able to keep up with member demand in March and April", reported co-op manager Marc Xuereb, "which is why we advanced aquiring our third vehicle."

PCC members make a $400 refundable loan to the co-op. Two people mare share a membership for $500. There is a one-time, non-refundable $20 application fee. Car trips cost:
$1.40/hr weekdays or $1.80/hr weekends, plus $.25/km or $.20/km on trips longer than 200km, plus $1/trip administration fee. Gas and all other expenses are paid for by the co-op from these fees. No hourly charges between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m.

Mr. Xuereb said the decision to locate the PCC office in Kitchener's downtown was based on easy access to bus lines and the ability to share services with the Ontario Co-Operative Housing Federation, also located at 29 King St. E.

For more information call 578-1895 or visit www.peoplescar.org.

An original business in The Original City.

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27 April 2001, The Record

Car sharing group gaining members

By Bob Burtt, RECORD STAFF

A group of K-W residents hopes the air they breathe will be a little cleaner because of their decision not to own and operate their own cars.

"Our expectation is to reduce the amount of CO2 (carbon dioxide) in the air by 100 tonnes this year," said David Roewade, who wrote the business plan and did market research for the People's Car Co-op.

Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas and one of many troublesome chemicals found in car exhaust.

The co-op now has 31 members who share two cars and is on target to have 50 or 60members by the end of this year and 100 members and eight cars by the end of next year.

Roewade said members tend to cycle, walk or use public transit for their daily transit needs and use a car for trips where they get groceries, go the market or have passengers or cargo they need to carry.

A recent survey indicated that two-thirds of the members either sold or put off the purchase of a car after joining the co-op.

The cars owned by the car co-op are driven about 25,000 kilometres a year, about the same as an average motorist would drive. The difference is that the co-op cars serve 10 people instead of one.

While environmental concerns are a factor, saving money is the primary reason people get involved in car-sharing.

The Canadian Automobile Association estimates it costs $8,000 a year on average to own and operate a car. Car co-op members pay between $1,000 and $2,000 a year for the use of a car.

A shortage in the number of cars and the proximity to vehicle locations are still the biggest factors discouraging people from A groiupgetting involved in the co-op.

But that's all changing, Roewade said.

With more members come more cars and more locations where people can go to pick one up.

Members pay a $400 refundable membership fee and rental fees of $1.40 an hour on weekdays, $1.80 an hour on weekends and a 25 cents a kilometre for the first 200 kilometres.

For anyone who drives less than 12,000 kilometres a year, it is cheaper to belong to the car co-op than to own your own car, Roewade said.

JoAnn Woodhall, Waterloo Region's transportation demand planner, said car-sharing can play a strategic role in helping the region reduce public dependence on the automobile.

"For some people, car pooling or transit isn't the answer, but car sharing might be. There are many things we are doing and we think all of these things together are the answer," she said.

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26 January 2001, The Record

Funding will help car co-op expand

By Carol Goodwin, Record staff

WATERLOO REGION -- Want to save $8,000 a year on car expenses, lower your blood pressure and do your bit for the environment?

Become a member of the People's Car Co-op -- an idealistic concept that has just been given business credibility in the form of funding grants totalling more than $64,000, including $50,000 from Ontario's Trillium Foundation.

Members of People's Car, which has two vehicles, make a $400 refundable loan to theco-op. Two people may share a membership for $500. There is a one-timenon-refundable $20 application fee. Car trips cost members $1.40 an hour on weekdaysor $1.50 [sic] an hour on weekends, plus 25 cents a kilometre or 20 cents a kilometre on tripslonger than 200 kilometres.

Gas and all other expenses, like insurance and maintenance, are paid for by the co-op. Cars are booked by phone and picked up from a central location, and members are billed monthly for the time and distance travelled.

The car-sharing scheme, launched in 1998 in Waterloo Region, has been struggling, manager Marc Xuereb admitted.

With only 26 members and a startup grant of $500, it lost money the first year, but caught up the second -- and now has a bit of a surplus, Xuereb said.

But the operators, mostly volunteers until now, want the non-profit scheme to become self-sustaining, which these grants should ensure, he said.

In fact, the Trillium Foundation, a $100-million fund generated by Ontario's gaming revenues, encouraged the People's Car Co-op to ask for more than their original request for $25,000, Xuereb said.

"They were extremely enthusiastic. We had asked for $25,000, but they encouraged us to ask for more. They liked the fact we were being so businesslike," he said.

In addition to the $50,000 Trillium grant, another $14,000 came from smaller organizations and the cities of Kitchener and Waterloo.

The People's Car has had trouble getting the word out about the scheme, and the grant money will be used to address that. A business consultant will be hired to conduct market research and develop a business plan to devise "an optimal fee structure and identify key target markets." Another consultant will be hired to train staff and manage the business.

Six cars used on a regular basis should result in the service paying for itself, Xuereb said.

Even though that may result in only a net reduction of 12 vehicles on K-W roads, the plan still appealed to the Trillium Foundation as well as Kitchener and Waterloo.

"The application met all the criteria," said Tracey Robertson, program manager for the foundation in Waterloo, Wellington and Dufferin.

"A lot of their funding will go to assist them in strategic planning, so that they become sustainable over three years," she said.

Since a portion of Trillium grants are for environmental projects, the People's Car scored points there, she said.

"As well, the project is supporting the community by making transportation more accessible to people who may not be able to afford it. And it fits in with the region's plan to reduce (exhaust) emissions," Robertson said.

The Canadian Automobile Association estimates it costs about $8,000 a year to keep anaverage car on the road.

For more information, visit the Web site at www.peoplescar.org, e-mail info@peoplescar.org or call 743-2152.

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24 January 2001, The Waterloo Chronicle

People's Car Co-op embarks on expansion project

By Andrea Bailey, Chronicle staff

The People's Car Co-operative is embarking on a year-long expansion project with over $64,000 in grants from four different funders, including the City of Waterloo.

The project, called "Moving to Cleaner Air" aims to double the number of membershipsin the car sharing organization and to reduce CO2 emissions by 32 tonnes..

"We're happy that these funders have recognized that helping us expand faster will have positive environmental and social benefits," said Sheila Justy, co-op treasurer.

The project entail two broad areas of work over a one-year period: technical business assistance, training and planning; and co-op development, including the staffing and marketing of the co-op for the purpose of advocating car sharing and expanding the co-op.

"I'm really excited about this," said co-op Manager Marc Xuereb. "Everyone I've talked to about the car sharing idea in the past two years has liked it: our problem has been the time and resources necessary to reach more people. Now we should be able to do that.".

Monday night, the City of Waterloo agreed to donate two parking spots in a City lot to the co-op.

Other project contributors include the Ontario Trillium Foundation, which donated $50,000, the City of Kitchener's Community Development Infrastructure Program which donated $8,850, and the Co-operators Development Fund which donated $5,000.

The People's Car Co-operative is a non-profit co-operative in which members co-own all co-op vehicles and pay by the kilometre and hour to drive them. Gas and other expenses, like insurance and repairs, are paid by the co-op..

For more information, call 743-2152, or visit www.peoplescar.org.

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19 October 2000, The Record

New Wheels for Car Sharing Co-op

By Carol Goodwin, Record staff

Another phase of a car-sharing scheme powered by a bold dream and environmentally friendlier fuel was launched in Kitchener yesterday. The People's Car Co-op, a project aimed at reducing the volume of single-use motoring (only one person per car on the road every day), added a second vehicle to its fledgling fleet in Waterloo Region.

Although People's Car, launched locally in 1998, had two vehicles until about six months ago, one had to be retired because of age and safety concerns, project manager David Roewade said.

On display yesterday at Kitchener City Hall was a General Motors Cavalier, a specially manufactured hybrid car that uses compressed natural gas as well as regular gas. The car is on loan for afew months, after which one will have to be purchased.

The car the co-op buys might not be new, depending on what kind of financial support may be forthcoming, but there's every possibility it will be a natural gas-powered vehicle, Roewade said.

The project has the support of both Kitchener and Waterloo as well as Waterloo Region's transportation demand management plan, headed by JoAnn Woodhall.

The plan aims to reduce car trips by seven per cent by 2016 -- virtually essential, since the region is already one of the top smog centres in the province. It's No. 1 in ground level ozone, and No. 5 in solid particulates, according to Canadian Geographic's May/June edition this year.

As well, this area has above-average car ownership, with 2.6 vehicles per household -- one of the highest in Canada, according to a recent national study, Roewade said.

Whether the car manufacturers will start mass-producing alternative fuel cars is still unknown, but Roewade had the facts to back up that hopeful possibility. Natural gas vehicles burn cleaner and more effieciently than both gasoline or propane vehicles. Compressed natural gas vehicles achieve a 90 per cent reduction in carbon monoxide, 50 per cent less in nitrogen oxide, 98 per cent in volatile organic compounds and 60 per cent of particulate matter according to the manufacturer and Natural Resources Canada.

The natural gas car comes with a list of service stations that provide compressed natural gas.

People's Car Co-op members make a refundable $400 loan to the co-op, pay $1.40 an hour for weekday use, plus 25 cents a kilometre. Gas and other expenses, like insurance and maintenance, are paid by the co-op. Members book the time they need it, and have access to a lock-box containing the key. They log their kilometres, and are re-imbursed for the fuel.

For more information, call 894-7311 or visit www.peoplescar.org.

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18 October 2000, The Waterloo Chronicle

People's Car Co-op adds second vehicle to fuel-efficient family

By Andrea Bailey, Chronicle staff

As its unofficial slogan states, with the addition of its second vehicle the Waterloo-based People's Car Co-operative is committed now
more than ever to moving people to cleaner air.

The Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) hybrid Chevrolet Cavalier,which will be placed in downtown Kitchener, has been made available to
the local group for a free three-month triat period as part of a strategy to promote the model. The addition brings the co-op's car total to two, along.with the Honda Accord which is now placed in uptown Waterloo.

"Now car use without private ownership will be a much more plausible reality," sid co-op manager David Roewade, "especially for people who work or live close to either city core and for people willing to take public transit to vehicle locations."

What began as a group of six friends and one donated car in 1998 has evolved into an l8-member organization.

The benefits of such an iritiative have included a cleaner environment with fewer car emissions, less traffic congestion,. affordable car ownership, more available public parking spaces, and strong partnerships within the community.

According to some of the co-op's personal statistics, to date members have driven:only 50,000 kilometres in 600 trips with the shared
vehicle.

That equates into between 20-25 tons of C02 emissions being kept from escaping into the atmosphere.

"We are making a big impact in averting C02 .emissions in this area," Roewade said.

"With 18 members, there are 16 less cars on the road. That starts to make a big difference."

At a cost of $400 for insurance purposes, members can rent the vehiele for a couple of hours a day on a pay-as-you drive basis. Members are then able to book one of the cars by the hour and for as long as they need it.

Roewade said the value in car-sharing has prompted one of its members to sell her truck and rely on the co-op cars, as well as public transportation, as her mode of travel.

"It is taking a while for us to grow, but the timing is right now;" he said.

"We'are not going to solve all transportation problems; but the co-op is a viable altemative to owning a car."

But Roewade said he understands that some people just cannot part with their own set of keys. "This region has a loveaffair with cars," he said. "And in some areas, like north Waterloo, where there isn't transit service, some people have no choice but to own a car to get around.

"But, with a population of 440,000 people in the Waterloo Region, if we can get one per cent of the population to (join.the co-op), that's 4,400 people.

"What an impact in terms of traffic congestion and cleaner air."

Roewade said the co-op's goal is to increase its members to between 60-80 and its car total to six by June 2002.

After all, he said; all good things take time to grow.

"The greatest things aren't always one big thing," he said. "Sometimes it's an accumulation of little things."

To join the co-op or for more information, call 897-2667 between 7am and 11pm, or visit www.peoplescar.org.

21 June 2000, The Record

Region Endorses non-profit car-sharing program in K-W

By Record Staff

An innovative car-sharing program has won formal support from Waterloo Region politicians.

The People's Car Co-operative, the first legally incorporated group of its kind in Ontario, was endorsed Tuesday by members of the region's planning and culture committee.

A non-profit service in operation in Kitchener-Waterloo for about two years, the co-operative has two cars on the road and is looking for help to expand.

Members of the co-operative share the cost of buying, insuring and maintaining vehicles by paying an hourly rate, plus mileage, to use them occasionally.

The region endorsed the program, which is popular in Europe, because it furthers goals of limiting traffic and pollution by reducing reliance on cars.

Organizers say the system saves members money and cuts down on car use because people must plan ahead to have a vehicle when they really need it, meaning they're more likely to walk or cycle at other times.

In addition to its formal support of the concept, the region also agreed to promote it, investigate preferential parking arrangements and work with organizers to help it expand.

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10 May 2000, The Waterloo Chronicle

Car Co-op Looking for More Passengers

By Andrea Bailey

Waterloo council is looking at becoming a passenger in the two-year-old local car-sharing initiative known as the Peoples Car Co-operative.

The group asked city staff to take a closer look at the pluses and minuses of endorsing such a concept after representatives from the small Waterloo-based business presented their achievements and goals at a recent meeting.

Manager Marc Xuereb explained to council that what began as a group of six friends and one donated car in 1998 has evolved into 18 members and one new vehicle.

"We provide a real alternative to owning a car," he said.

"A lot of people think it's ride-sharing or car pooling. But its not the same thing. Its having access to. a vehicle without owning it.'

Xuereb also explained many of the benefits felt since the concept - the only one of its kind in Kitchener-Waterloo - was introduced.

Those benefits include a cleaner environment with fewer car emissions, less traffic congestion, affordable car ownership, more available public parking spaces, and strong partnerships within the community.

"We realize this is not going to catch on without personal benefits," Xuereb said. "People will start car sharing because it's cheaper, period."

At a cost of $400 for insurance purposes, members can rent the vehicle for a couple of hours a day on a pay-as-you-drive basis. Eventually, Xuereb said, the group hopes to add more cars to the collection and set up locations close to all major arteries in the region.

Currently, Xuereb said, the group serves about an eight-block radius of members. "There is a missing link in the public transportation system," he said. 'In such a spread out region, its difficult to get by without using a car."

The manager also said he hopes the co-op will have future opportunities to team up with taxi, bus and train services to continue the decrease in car usage. "It's just a matter of getting people's heads around it,' he said.

So far, the public has said it's a great idea. But that's a big stretch from saying, "here's my money, take my car."

That's where the local government comes in. Xuereb feels that if politicians support the venture, the sky is the limit. But, he said, support doesn't have to come in the form of funding - though it would help.

Aid in the form of free parking passes for the co-op vehicles would be more than welcome. "We need support to get beyond a small co-op of 18 people," he said. 'We will grow and we are trying to grow as quickly as possible, but it will take support."

Despite some members of council feeling uncomfortable agreeing to anything before more information is presented, the group praised the co-op for its efforts.

"You definitely have your work cut out for you in car- obsessed North America,' commented Coun. Scan Strickland. "But this kind of creativity should be encouraged."

Co-op members made a similar presentation to the Region of Waterloo's planning and culture committee the following morning, and brought the idea before Kitchener council this week.

The group has also held local information sessions over the last couple of weeks, and will be on hand at the upcoming Air Quality Festival May 13 at the Waterloo Recreation Complex.

For more information or become a member of the People's Car Co-operative, call 743-2152, or visit www.peoplescar.org.

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2 July 1999, The Record

Car co-op a solution for those who need vehicle occasionally

By Rose Simone

When Bob Wildfong of Waterloo gave his car to friends for "free." his friends discovered what all car-oivners know.

There is no such thing as a "free" car. Insurance and maintenance costs quickly add up, making a car too expensive and hardly worth-while for people who only need a vehicle from time to time.

But now there is a handy and cheap solution for occasional car users in Kitchener-Waterloo who don't own car. as well as families that have one car but could sometimes use two.

It's the People's Car Co-operative, which now has two cars on the road and is lookin.- for more people to become members. The idea started just over a year ago, when Wildfong, who lives downtown, realized his aging car wasn't used much, since he usually walked to work.

He was paying insurance and maintenance even though the car was sitting in his driveway. Still, he and other friends needed a car from time to time.

Marc Xuereb said he and his partner were offered the car, "but we realized very quickly there is no such thing a free car, and we couldn't afford the insurance and everything."

So a group of 10 individuals came together, with the idea of sharing the vehicle and all contributing to the costs. But they discovered for insurance reasons, the only way they could legally share the insurance costs was if they became incoroorated as a non-profit car co-operative.

And so last year, The People's Car Co-operative Inc. in Waterloo became the first legally incorporated non-profit car co-operative in Ontario.

Since then, a car co-operative has also been incorporated in Toronto, that is well funded and has more cars on the road. Still, the one in Waterloo is now wanting to grow as well. Using a $10,000 loan from the Waterloo Regional Credit Union, the group bought a 1991 Honda and will purchase a second vehicle.

The car donated by Wildfong is still on the road for now, but is dying and the group will eventually retire it. With an additional car on the road, the group is hoping to find more people to join the cooperative.

Helmut Braun of Waterloo, a member of the original co-operative group, has found this system opens a door to car use for him. "I'm underemployed and couldn't afford a car and when you don't have a car in a city that is designed for cars, you are very limited and isolated," Braun said.

To join, one needs a driver's licence and a reasonably clean driving record. Once accepted into group, the person puts in $400 as a "member loan" that would be refundable when leaving the group. That money is used to help pay for the car purchase costs.

Members then "book" the car, and pay a per-hour cost of $1.40 on weekdays and $1.80 on weekends plus 21 cents a kilometre locally and 16 cents a kilometre for trips of more than 200 kilometres.

They can book a car for anything from a quick local shopping trip to a weekend trip to Toronto. Since it normally costs around $7,000 a year to keep the average car, even when you're not driving it much, this is a cheap alternative.

There's an environmental benefit because fewer cars are on the road, Xuereb said. Instead of buying a car to have it sit in a workplace driveway for eight hours, it would be possible to car pool to work and book the car from the co-operative for specific errands. Also, it changes car use habits and discourages unnecessary trips, because people have to plan their car use.

Anyone who wants to join the car co-operative should call Marc Xuereb at 743-2152.

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8 July 1999, The Waterloo Chronicle

Wheeling & Dealing
People's Car co-operative provides affordable transportation alternative

By Tim Gardner

Organizers of a new local transportation alternative hope it will provide people with an economical way of getting around Kitchener-Waterloo and also save the environment.

The current 10 members of the People's Car Co-operative held a birthday party last Wednesday to celebrate the official birth of their organization. The party was held at the Global Community Centre on King Street North and was also partly held to officially launch the co-operative's second car, a 1991 Honda Accord.

The 10 members of the co-operative actually became incorporated as the first legal non-profit car sharing co-operative in Ontario in April, 1998. However now that the members have been operating the co-operative for over a year and have actually ended up with a surplus, the co-operative is ready for growth.

"I joined the co-op because I can't afford a car and, for environmental reasons, wouldn't want to own my own car," said co-op president Suzanne Gallowav at last week's party "But this (the co-op) gives me access to transportation when a bus or a bicycle or walking isn't possible."

"I just want a car so when I want to visit my daughter out of town or my girlfriends out of town or take my little grand- children to the beach, I can just go in and get the car and go," said potential new co-op member Vera Larsen. "And I don't have to worry about anything else."

Co-op treasurer, Marc Xuereb, said last week the way the co-op works is that it is legally incorporated so that it can actually own cars. People can become members by paying a $400 membership loan (which is refunded once a member leaves the co-op) and by meeting the necessary insurance requirements to drive a car.

Once members join the co- op, they can call the co-op's answering service to book the car for 3 certain time, if it is available. They can then pick up the car at a central location, keep track of the hours they have the car and the kilometres they drive, and then are billed at the end of each month on a per hour and a per kilometre basis.

Xuereb said the co-op came about when an acquaintance offered both he and his partner, Fiona Heath, a free car. Unfortunately, when the couple began to look into the expense required to maintain and own a car, they quickly discovered there's no such thing as a free one.

So Xuereb and Heath began to look around for people who might be willing to share the cost of the car in exchange for also being able to use it.

"It wasn't our intention to go formal from the beginning," Xuereb said. "We just wanted to share the car. But we ran into the snag of insurance. Basically we couldn't do what we wanted to do legally and have people from different households drive the car."

So Xuereb and Heath began to look into something they had heard about in Europe, in Quebec and in British Columbia - car co-operatives. In Europe, they discovered tens of thousands of people belonged to car co-operatives and they also found that the CommuneAuto in Montreal and Quebec City had grown to over 1,000 members and 60 cars after only five years in opera- tion.

So Xuereb and Heath decided to set up Ontario's first incorporated car co-operative, complete with an official board.

That's definitely one of the advantages - it's cheaper than owning your own car," Xuereb said, when asked what the advantages of belonging to a car co-op are. And it, makes private car usage available to people who otherwise wouldn't be able to afford it."

It's also good for the environment. Naturally, with 10 to I 5 people using only one car, emissions from automobiles are drastically reduced.

But Xuereb said another way a co-operative helps the environment is that it makes those who join a co-operative more aware of the actual costs of operating an automobile, and thus less eager to use one.

For example, the hourly and kilometre rates the members pay are used to pay for such necessary expenses as insurance, repairs, fuel and maintenance. Once people discover just how much it costs to operate a car, some other forms of transportation which may not be as convenient but are cheaper become a lot more attractive, Xuereb said.

The co-op recently secured a loan from the Waterloo Regional Credit Union and has used that money to buy the Honda Accord and may possibly buy a second car.

The original car donated to Xuereb and Heath and eventually the co-op, a 1988 Toyota Tercel, is currently on its last legs and won't last long, Xuereb said.

When asked how big the members would like the co-op to grow, Xuereb said at the present time the members aren't quite sure.

"We don't have grand ambitions," he said. We're going to grow as the demand necessitates. We can meet our costs of the loan that we're committed to with 20 members.?

"But we'd love to go as far as we could."

For more information about the People's Car Co-operative, call Xuereb at 743-2152.

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15/22 July 1999, Letters to The Waterloo Chronicle

We Need More Alternative Transportation," and "Car Co-op idea gets a firm approval from the nation's capital"

In the same issue of the Chronicle that featured a story on the People?s Car Co-op, the following notice invited readers to write in:

What do you think?

A group of Waterloo residents has formed a car co-operative to share the expense of owning an automobile and to help protect the environment. What do you think of their idea? Would you consider joining such an organization? Let us know by calling us at 886-2830, ext, 220 (please leave your phone number and spell your first and last name), e-mailing us at chronicle@sentex.net, or faxing us at 886-9383. Your response may be published in next week?s Chronicle.

The following letter appeared the following week:

We Need More Alternative Transportation

I applaud the group that has started a People's Car Co- operative. Such a venture, which encourages careful and thoughtful use of automobiles, is good for the environment, the citizens involved, and the greater community. Perhaps if more energy could be put into alternative transportation, we could avoid such mega-projects as the planned parking garage for Uptown Waterloo and the proposed new Highway 7.

Deborah Wills, Waterloo

And the following letter appeared the next week:

Car Co-op idea gets a firm approval from the nation's capital

My sister lives in Waterloo and sent me your article (Waterloo Chronicle, July 7) about the new Car Cooperative.

I think it's a FANTASTIC idea. If Ottawa had one I think I would join.

Ottawa is a very bike-friendly city with all sorts of bike paths and because of this I think a car co-op would be something many Ottawa residents would be interested in.

Congratulations to the members and especially to those people who had the initiative to get this going!

Carolyn Buehler, Ottawa

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9 July 1999, Echo Weekly

Car co-op program allows riders to share the benefits of a car without the hassle

By David Eby

The Canadian Automobile Association (CAA) ranks Ontario as the most expensive province in Canada in which to operate an automobile. Marc Xuereb, a member of the new People's Car Co-op (PCC)L based in Waterloo, thinks his group has the solution to the problem of expensive cars for people who don't need them every day.

According to 1999 figures from the CAA, the average sub-compact owner should expect to spend $7498.45 per year to own and operate a vehicle. This cost balloons to over $11,500.00 for the owner of a full-sized vehicle. These annual costs include the price of gas, insurance, purchase, depreciation, maintenance and administration directly associated with owning a vehicle. For an investment that sits unused for about 90 per cent of the car owner's time, it's little wonder that some people are starting to question the way we think about cars and car ownership.

In the spring of 1998, Marc Xuereb and nine friends incorporated the People's Care Co-op as a not-for-profit Co-op. The ten friends split the cost of a rusty 1988 Toyota Tercel and shared the'expenses of gas, maintenance, insurance and the rest based on the time and mileage each user put on the car. This pilot project was based on the success of car co-ops in over 70 European cities and the wide public acceptance of car co-ops in Montreal and Quebec City.

The idea behind these car co-ops is simple. Each member of the co-op pays a set fee to join the group, usually anywhere from $500 to $1000. For the PCC, the cost is $400. This fully refundable cost is pooled with the fees collected from other members of the co-op. The co-op then purchases a car with the pooled funds and financial backing from the bank. The car becomes a "shared' car among all members of the co-op, with cars parked in central and easily accessible locations. Additional loan payments, gas, maintenance and other costs are included in the fees for distance travelled and time in the car.

Any time a member wants to book the car, she calls the central booking number and requests the time she needs on the car. No advance notice is required, but in smaller co-ops, like Waterloo, it is advisable as availability may become an issue. After booking the car, she travels to the central lot where the car is parked, drives wherever she needs, then returns the car to the lot. The PCC bills $1.80 per hour on weekends, and $1.40 per hour on weekdays. Driving costs are $.21 per kilometre, but that falls to $.16 per kilometre for distances over 200 kilometres.

According to the PCC, the biggest winners in the car co-op are people who drive less than 16,000 km per year and don't need a car for commuting. The PCC also suggests that the car co-op might be a good idea for people who need a second automobile on occasion, but can't afford one.

Xuereb lists three main benefits to joining the co-op. "First is, it's hassle free. You don't have to worry about cleaning the car or maintenance. You just show up, get in, drive and receive a bill in the mail. Second is the environmental benefits of fewer cars on the road." The third benefit he says is "a bit more difficult to understand." According to Xuereb, the true costs of a car are hidden from the consumer. "You pay for the car and insurance up front, so why wouldn't you drive to downtown Kitchener to see a movie, if it only costs 500 in gas. But in reality, it is cheaper to walk, take a bus, or bike. The co-op reflects the true costs of owning and operating a car. If you know it will cost money while it sits outside and you're watching a movie you'll think twice about taking the car."

The People's Car Co-op now boasts a direct line booking service, a spiffy new Honda Accord, preferential rates from rental agencies should a PCC vehicle not be able when you want it and full roadside assistance should anything go wrong on the road. Xuereb realises that it will be difficult for people to give up their cars. "It requires a bit of a mind shift, we're expecting to convince most people one-on-one" he explains. "People are used to the car always there in the driveway when they need it. The benefit is it's quite a bit cheaper for people who drive fewer than 16000 kilometres."

People in Quebec have had no trouble giving up their cars. A car co-op in Montreal and Quebec City now boasts over 1,000 members and more than 60 automobiles. It has only been operating for five years. Three years ago, a car co-op started in Vancouver and one year later another started in Victoria. These co-ops now have over 300 members combined. Incredibly sophisticated car co-ops exist in Europe with collectives that have several thousand members.

An example of one of these advanced co-ops is the NTUC Income car co-op in Singapore which boasts a 24-hour booking centre. It also uses smart cards which allow the member to access keys stored on site at co-op parking lots. These smart cards also record the time a member took out the car and brought it back.

Waterloo is a long way from that point, and Xuereb plans small steps for the group. "We can now provide the level of service people will put up with," he says laughingly, remembering the huimble beginnings of the group. "We wanted to share the project and grow until we could convince more people to give up their cars." For more information, call the People's Car Co-op at 743-2152.

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July/August, 1999, Whole Life Magazine

Baby You Can Share My Car"

In a move to combat the environmental impact and high cost of individual car ownership, groups of people throughout Europe and North America are organizing around the idea that strangers can comfortably share a car. The Waterloo-based The People's Car Co-operative Inc. has been testing the theory over the past year, and has recently put its communally purchased car - a 1991 Honda Accord - on the road.

For the past year, the group has been saving money and reducing members' reliance on the automobile by sharing a car. Recently, the People's Car Co-op extended its mandate to lower the cost of driving a car and reduce CO2 emissions into the atmosphere by inviting more people to join.

New members give the co-op a refundable loan of $400 and, provided they pass the driver's license check, are granted driving privileges. The co-op buys, leases or rents cars and its members book time to use them. At the end of the month, members are billed according to the number of hours they've used the car and the distance they've driven. People's Car Co-op spokesperson Marc Xuereb says the co-op's ratio of 10 people to one car gives members ample access to a vehicle and at the same time it helps keep nine other cars off the road. Xuereb says car sharing is becoming a global phenomenon, with successful operations in Europe, Montreal, Quebec City Victoria, Vancouver and, most recently, Toronto, where Autoshare has grown to 70 members and seven cars in eight months.

Anyone interested in finding out more about the People's Car Co-op may call Xuereb at 743-2152.

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Currently we have:
– 11 cars in KW
& Cambridge
– more to follow

Check the map below for the vehicle nearest your home or work (click to enlarge). If you're interested in joining, but don't see a convenient location for you, let us know! We'll keep you updated on future vehicle locations.

Keep informed of car sharing developments in Waterloo Region; receive periodic updates on new car locations, services, etc.

Car sharing rolled out in city

Car-free living has its day

Day of peace, and day of fewer cars

People's Car riding into city

Car co-op launches bike network

Car co-op seeks new investors

Car co-op wraps up auto-free week

Car-free celebration

National Co-op Week: Region celebrates with... Car Co-op

New Cars, Marketing & Business Plan Drive PCC

Car Co-op Purchases 4th Vehicle

People's Car Co-Op gets $30,000 funding boost

Car co-op opens Kitchener office

Car sharing group gaining members

Funding will help car co-op expand

People's Car Co-op embarks on expansion project

New Wheels for Car Sharing Co-op

People's Car Co-op adds second vehicle to fuel-efficient family

Region Endorses non-profit car-sharing program in K-W

Car Co-op Looking for More Passengers

Car co-op a solution for those who need vehicle occasionally

Wheeling & Dealing People's Car co-operative provides affordable transportation alternative

We Need More Alternative Transportation," and "Car Co-op idea gets a firm approval from the nation's capital"

Car co-op program allows riders to share the benefits of a car without the hassle

Baby You Can Share My Car"

Wheeling & Dealing
People's Car co-operative provides affordable transportation alternative