Joining Grand River CarShare is easy. If you have any questions before joining, don't hesitate to email us or give us a call. Our contact info is on the right panel of every page.

You may join the Co-op as a:

• Regular Member - one driver or two drivers (note that the two drivers may be unrelated and living in different households, e.g. friends or family members).
• Associate Non-driving Member - for those wanting to support car sharing by investing in Grand River CarShare and/or volunteering on our Board of Directors.
• Membership is also available to businesses and orgranizations.
• Bike-Share Member - for those wanting to use our Bike-Share Network bicycles - free of charge. For more information on how to join as a Bike-Share Member contact our office.

Regular Member - Three simple steps to join:

STEP 1.SUBMIT APPLICATION FEE

Before joining Grand RIver CarShare as a Regular Member we will first need to verify your driver's license(s) and driver's abstract(s). There is a $25 non-refundable application fee (per driver) payable by cash, money order, or cheque.

Mail your $25 application fee ($50 for two drivers) along with your completed Member Application and a clear readable photocopy(s) of your driver's license(s). Our office is located at:

Grand River CarShare
29 King Street East, Unit 3
Kitchener Ontario N2G 2K4

Alternatively, you may drop off your $25 application fee ($50 for two drivers), your completed Member Application and a clear readable photocopy(s) of your driver's license(s) at our office.

Once we obtain your driver's abstract(s) we can add you to our group insurance policy meaning that as a member(s) of the Co-op you are maintaining and/or developing an insurance history.

Note: Currently, you must be at least 23 years of age and have a full 'G' license to become a driving member of the Co-op (a non-Ontario license must be transferred to an Ontario license within 60 days of becoming a member). Unfortunately, these are restrictions placed on us by our insurance company (car sharing is still relatively new in Canada, whereas it is much more established in European countries).

STEP 2. READ OUR MEMBERS' MANUAL AND BY-LAWS

Once you are added to our group insurance policy we will notify you of this and request that you take a few minutes to read through our Members' Manual and By-laws.

Alternatively, you are welcome to read through these documents at the orientation meeting that we will arrange with you.

Note: If you are unable to download any of the above pdf documents (you'll need Adobe Acrobat Reader), drop by our office to pick up hard copies or ask to have them emailed or mailed to you. Should you have any questions while reading through them, please do not hesitate to contact us. We would be pleased to answer any of your questions.

STEP 3. RECEIVE YOUR ACCESS KEY TO DRIVE

At the orientation meeting (approximately 30 minutes to one hour in length) we will walk you through the Members' Manual, explain vehicle reservation procedures, answer any questions you may have, and provide you with your own vehicle access key! (There is a fully refundable $10 deposit for your vehicle access key.)

At this time please provide us with your appropriate membership loan (i.e. refundable security deposit - $400 for one driver or $500 for two drivers), payable by cash, money order, or cheque. Please note that your membership loan acts like a security deposit and is fully refundable on cancellation of your membership. (To speed up the membership process you are welcome to include payment of your membership loan with your initial $25 application fee - see Step 1.)

Congratulations! You can now make reservations whenever you wish!

Once your orientation is completed, you are a member of Grand River CarShare and may reserve vehicles whenever you wish and for as long as you need! And because you can pay your monthly invoices by pre-authorized debit, credit card, cheque, cash, phone or internet banking there is no need for you to come to our office when you make reservations! It's that simple!

As a member consider volunteering your time and skills to the Board

Grand River CarShare overseen by a volunteer Board of Directors and two part-time staff. Consider volunteering some of your time and skills (and/or learn new skills) on our Board of Directors. The Board meets monthly for two hours (occasionally there may be additional time commitments). Additionally, our Finance Committee, Human Resources Committee, and Growth & Communications Committee meet monthly. All are welcome to attend the Board meetings and/or the Committee meetings. Contact our staff for more details.

OUR TRANSPORTATION BANK MAKES JOINING EASIER!

An alternative to paying your $400 or $500 membership loan in one lump sum is to pay it in monthly installments over a period of 18 months. If interested in this payment option please contact us about our interest-free loan program called The Transportation Bank.

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Associate Non-driving Member -

Two simple steps to join: