Architect and urban planner Kevin Klinkenberg believes most households overspend on transportation and do so for one reason — we own almost one car per person.
“And the reason we own one car per person is because there aren’t any really great alternatives to doing so,” Klinkenberg says.
He moved to downtown Savannah three years ago and observed that, other than the occasional need to venture to the Southside or the random urge to go to the beach, his need for an automobile was nearly nonexistent.
“I came here, I had a car and I found myself walking and biking almost all the time,” he said. “And I had this car that was just sitting there.
“I’d meet a lot of other people who needed a car sometimes but didn’t really want to buy one. After a while it kind of occurred to me that there ought to be a way for me to rent my car to other people and make money on it since I am hardly using it.”
Then Jason Combs came along.
Combs recently earned his master’s degree in urban planning from Georgia Tech. During his studies he became accustomed to relying on others’ vehicles for his transportation needs.
“I found an apartment in midtown, ditched my car and typically walked or rode my bike to Tech every day,” he said. “… But every week or two weeks, when I needed to go out to the big box (stores) or visit friends, I’d hop in a Zipcar and go. I did that for three years.”
Zipcar is a membership-based car sharing and car club service available in a number of major cities and at least four other countries that allows cars to be rented by the hour or by the day.
When Combs met Klinkenberg, the two envisioned a similar enterprise for Savannah and launched their new business, Share Savannah, last March.
“It took a lot of time and effort to sort of figure out all of the logistics of how it would work,” Klinkenberg said. “But the basic idea all along was to try to match up people who have a car who really don’t use it very often with people who need a car.”
Car owners register their vehicle on Share Savannah’s website. Those looking to rent a car create a user account and profile on the site and, after the company checks to ensure the renter has a clean driving history and valid insurance, select which vehicle make and location fits his or her needs.
To facilitate the sharing process, Share Savannah also gives vehicle owners the option of having a GPS system installed in their vehicle that communicates with the company’s network software.
The software allows owners to leave a key locked inside their car for the renter to pick up. Once the renter makes a reservation, they can use the company’s mobile app to unlock the vehicle and be on their way.
Klinkengberg said the company is mostly tailored toward those who live or work downtown. Car owners specify where customers should pick up their rental and what times the vehicle is available for.
Cars can be rented by the hour and on a daily basis. Owners retain a majority of the rental fee, while Share Savannah recoups 25 percent for operating the service.
“The car owners set their own rate, so it is completely market sensitive,” Klinkenberg said. “For most of our vehicles today, they are in the $8 to $10 per hour range and anywhere from $30 to $70 per day, depending on the vehicle.”
Combs said car-share programs allow owners to earn a few extra bucks, while having the added benefit of taking vehicles off the road, which reduces traffic and frees up scarce parking spaces.
“We want to make urban living more flexible and easier for people,” he said “And (car sharing) does that.”
