Car share cooperatives address three areas of sustainability: environmentally they support emissions reduction due to less cars being owned and driven while reducing waste due to fewer cars being manufactured and sent to landfill; economically they provide a mechanisms for families and communities to save on costs of full ownership, and finally socially, they enable more community bonding and interaction, as well as helping individuals to think twice about their car usage and need for ownership of cars and other items.
Members simply pay for usage, which covers insurance, fuel usage, maintenance and parking at a reasonable hourly rate. Modo is an example of an innovative car co-op based out of Metro Vancouver. It was incorporated in 1997, making it the oldest car-sharing organization in the area and the first carshare co-op in North America. Today, they are meeting the transportation needs of nearly 10,000 members with a variety of vehicles at over 300+ locations in Metro Vancouver - encouraging more walking and cycling along the way. The Okanagan Car Share Co-op based out of Kelowna is another example, the cars are owned and shared by the members, and members can be both individuals and businesses.
Car co-ops represent a powerful initiative that can be replicated across the country helping to push the sustainability agenda forward across municipalities.