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SUSTAINABLE ECONOMY
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= Sustainable Economy Initiatives = -
CO-OPERATIVE AUTO-NETWORK, VANCOUVER
The Co-operative Auto Network (CAN) is a highly
successful non-profit membership-owned car-sharing co-operative,
whose 1,020 members share 53 vehicles.
Origins
Car sharing has its origins in Switzerland and Germany in the
late 1980s, and has since spread to several other European countries,
North America and Singapore. Vancouver is a fast-growing, fast-moving
city on Canada’s western coast, and Vancouver’s Co-operative Auto
Network (CAN) was founded in 1997 as a small non-profit co-operative.
It now has over 1000 members who share 50 vehicles, which are
parked at various locations throughout the city, and also in six
other cities in the province of British Columbia.
Aims and Objectives
CAN’s goal is to reduce the impact of automobiles on urban ecosystems
by offering car-sharing as an alternative to individual car ownership,
thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions, improving local air
quality and green space viability, and indirectly promoting pedestrian,
bicycle and transit-friendly urban design. It secondary goal is
to ensure that car-sharing is more affordable than owning a personal
vehicle, and that it is accessible to people who cannot or choose
not to own a personal vehicle.
Activities
CAN’s main activity involves the smooth operation of the co-operative.
New members go through an hour-long orientation process, after
which they fill in an application form and purchase a life-time
share in the co-operative for $500, which is fully refundable.
A partner/family member or friend living in the same house can
have associate membership for $250. As a member-owner, you then
have a grace period during which you figure out which of CAN’s
three usage plans will suit you best (see Finance). When you want
to use a car, you can book a vehicle on-line, or call the office
to book the time and location. You are given a lock-box key when
you join which gives you access to the cars’ keys. The cars are
almost always available - out of a 1,500 typical bookings that
CAN’s staff make each month, there are only 10-30 occasions when
a vehicle is not available immediately. After your trip, you return
the vehicle to its location, return the keys to the lockbox, and
log your time and distance with the office. If you get a parking
ticket, or get towed, that’s your responsibility. CAN’s members
have a mutual sharing arrangement with the Victoria Car Share
Co-operative and with the Nelson and Area Car Sharing Co-operative,
enabling members to make use of each other’s services when they
go travelling to areas where there are no CAN cars.
CAN also offers a consultancy service to groups which want to
start a similar organization, once a group has ten people who
are interested in sharing a car, and has done a market survey
which indicates the potential to attract 50 members within two
years.
Structure
CAN is a not-for-profit co-operative. It is owned by its members,
who own or lease the vehicles, and who control the activities
and direction of the co-op through a democratically elected board
of directors. CAN has formal partnerships with VanCity Capital
Corporation, the City of Vancouver (which allows the co-op vehicles
to be parked in any permit zone in the city), and with a car rental
company which provides discounts for members who want to rent
a car for longer trips or vacations, or who want a larger, cargo
vehicle.
Finance
CAN offers three user plans to suit its members’ needs:
- a Higher Usage Plan, for those driving over 3,000 km/year
($35 monthly admin fee, $1.75 per hour and 17 cents/km);
- a Moderate Usage Plan for those driving less than 3,000 km/yr.
($12.50 monthly admin fee, $1.75 per hour and 27 cents/km);
- and a Lower Usage Plan for those driving less than 1,000 km/yr.
($60 yearly admin fee, $1.75 per hour and 32 cents/km).
These prices include all other vehicle usage costs, such as insurance,
gas, oil, servicing, repairs, or BCAA membership. The Co-op’s
shares pay no dividends, and no interest. When CAN was getting
started, it received a loan for vehicle purchases from VanCity
Savings, a member-owned credit union which is a leading member
of BC’s financial community. Since then, the operating costs have
been covered by a combination of the members’ shares and the user
fees. 20 of CAN’s vehicles are owned by the co-op, and 33 are
leased.
Performance
CAN is debt free, and financially self-sustaining. In 2001, CAN
commissioned an independent Social and Environmental Report, during
which a survey was distributed to all CAN’s members, which generated
a 55% response rate. The survey showed that 95% of CAN’s members
were satisfied or very satisfied with CAN’s service, that 99%
of the members would recommend CAN to others, and that 94% thought
CAN was beneficial for the environment. The survey also showed
that CAN’s members drive an average of 1400 km/yr., releasing
10 to 36 times less greenhouse gases than someone who drives 6,000
– 24,000 km/yr (personal vehicle estimates), and that 171 members
are choosing not to buy or lease a car because CAN exists.
Future
In addition to continued expansion, CAN’s goals for the future
include creating a ‘Station Car’ system that will enable cars
to be stationed at SkyTrain LRT stations in partnership with Vancouver’s
Light Rapid Transit system; adding gas/electric hybrid vehicles
to the fleet; developing a special fund for people who can’t afford
the initial $500 share purchase; establishing a partnership program
with job clubs and employment insurance offices around Vancouver;
and offering members a discount on their monthly invoice in return
for doing CAN outreach work in areas outside Vancouver. In August
2002, CAN was chosen as one of three finalists to qualify for
a $1million award program run by VanCity Savings, Vancouver’s
largest credit union. If CAN wins, by a popular vote among VanCity’s
282,000 members in October 2002, it will use the award to purchase
30 electric hybrid cars, and to develop a station car program
for transit-poor areas.
As well as its record of solid financial management and strong
member support, CAN’s success can be credited to its being an
excellent answer to the problem of high density traffic, with
all its social and environmental costs; the high density of traffic
on Vancouver’s streets; and the desirability of having access
to a car without all the hassles of owning and storing one. With
its accumulated experience, CAN is prepared for all the typical
crises that occur, and has worked out policies to complement even
the most bizarre circumstances that can arise.
Car Sharing in Europe
Car sharing began in Switzerland in 1987, and in Berlin in 1988.
It has since spread to Austria, Italy, France, Holland, Britain,
Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland, and has become very sophisticated,
using advanced special purpose software and offering integrated
transport packages. In 1997, for instance, Switzerland’s car sharing
groups merged to form Mobility Car Sharing, a professionally-run
country-wide scheme with 48,200 customers who share 1,650 vehicles
in 390 communities. Mobility’s Zuger Pass Plus is a highly popular
regional season ticket in credit card format which offers members
discounted access to car-sharing, public transit, the Swiss railways,
car rental, taxi, bicycle, and various non-transport related services.
Most European car share groups are run as businesses, not co-operatives.
Car Sharing in North America
In North America, there are car share groups in over 30 cities,
most of which have started since 2000. Boston’s Zipcar has 1875
members who share 75 vehicles; Montreal’s Communauto has 1600
members who share 90 vehicles; San Francisco’s City CarShare,
which was launched in March 2001, has 1,300 members who share
36 vehicles, including several electrics. Carsharing has also
taken off in Singapore, where the Japanese company Honda has launched
an Intelligent Community Vehicle System. During its trial period,
50 members are sharing access to a fleet of 15 Civic hybrid gas/electric
cars.
Car Sharing in the UK
Car sharing is just starting to take off in the UK, and there
are small car share groups in Bath (28 members), Bristol (51 members),
Lewes (18 members), Lewisham (started August 2002), BedZed Sutton
(20 members), Sutton & Southwark (50 members), Oxford (60
members), Leicester (3 clubs, 36 members), Cranfield University
(60 members), Swansea (4 cars), Leeds (16 members), Manchester
(8 members), Manchester Airport employees (60 members), and Edinburgh
(160 members). There are also new groups developing in 18 other
communities.
Car-Sharing Resources:
For further information contact :
Tracey Axelsson, Executive Director,
Co-operative Auto Network,
205-470 Granville St,
Vancouver, BC, V6C 1V5
Canada
Tel: 604-685-1393
Email: info@cooperativeauto.net
www.cooperativeauto.net
Written by Guy Dauncey, Sustainable Communities Consultancy,
Victoria, B.C., Canada
www.earthfuture.com
