A variation to hiring a car or a cab is catching on overseas and was first tried in this country in 2007 – car-share clubs. The idea behind the clubs is to reduce the cost of owning a car and the hassle of parking it in big cities. For an annual fee or one-off membership charge club members can book for as little as 30 minutes or as long as 6 months. The cost is based on how long you have the car, and how many km’s are travelled. At the end of each month the club sends out an account to the member. They basically work a bit like this. Members wanting to book a car either log on to a website or phone the host company. They then go to the nearest depot, swipe an access card on a reader on the dash to gain entry, and then collect the keys from the glove box. Membership costs about $50, the hourly rate is $12 or a daily rate of $60, and a per km rate of about 15 cents for every km above a free daily allowance of 100km. Petrol is included.
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Aug