Peer-to-peer car sharing services like RelayRides and Getaround let users scoot around town in neighbors’ personal vehicles. (Image source: RelayRides)
It’s never been easier to be carless in the city. Not because of a boom in public transit, but because of car-sharing services, which make owning a vehicle akin to paying for a nanny instead of hiring the occasional babysitter.
Established companies like Zipcar have parking lots sprinkled throughout urban areas, while newer P2P services connect drivers with private owners (a nice way to make extra money, given that the average car sits unused for 22 hours a day). Most systems use smartphones, GPS tracking, social networks, RFID cards, and the real-time web to connect drivers with vehicles, often within minutes.
Josie Garthwaite 