In germany the concept of car-sharing is becoming increasingly popular. Most bigger cities have multiple providers, some are backed by car manufacturers, some are independent.
So if you want to pick up lots of beverages for your birthday party next weekend and don't feel like hauling them back in public transport or with your bike, you can just rent a car for x minutes, go shopping, drive home, park it in a reserved place in you neighborhood.
The price model of most providers is however not the best for the visit grandma in the countryside problem, but most of those carsharing companies have special tarifs with rental providers, so you can get a relatively cheap car for the weekend.
The way it technically works is almost always the same: You sign up and you get an RFID Key Card. You go on the internet or use an App to see if a car is available in your area and book it. You go to the car, open it with you keycard and find the keys in the glovebox. Sometimes you have to put in a PIN first. Some providers have a monthly fee, some just charge the usage.
Some Websites for those interested:
www.car2go.com - Backed by Daimler - Smart Cars even in some NA cities
www.greenwheels.com - indipendent, has been around for ages
www.flinkster.de - Backed by Deutsche Bahn (german railways), they also have bikes for rent
www.stadtmobil.de
www.drive-now.com - Sixt (biggest german rental firm) and BMW - nice 1-series and Minis
www.web.quicar.de - Volkswagen got into the business,too
I use Cambio for car sharing here in Belgium, and it works great for me. The price for one trip may sometimes feel steep, but overall it works out a lot cheaper for us than owning a car. Even when I had a company car, I paid more for it in taxes than I pay now in an average Cambio month. Also, getting to and from the closest pickup point is often faster than the time my neigbours spend looking for parking spaces.
So I'd recommend looking into it to anyone who doesn't need a car on a daily basis. (Personally, I'm lucky enough to live within a bikeable distance from work.)
While living in Philadelphia, we got very used to seeing the ubiquitous Philly Car Share maroon cars. They partner with public and private enterprises for preferred parking spaces at a variety of venues. A good section of the front row of parking at IKEA was reserved for car-share. Its a great system and one noticeably absent from my current midwestern city.
So if you want to pick up lots of beverages for your birthday party next weekend and don't feel like hauling them back in public transport or with your bike, you can just rent a car for x minutes, go shopping, drive home, park it in a reserved place in you neighborhood.
The price model of most providers is however not the best for the visit grandma in the countryside problem, but most of those carsharing companies have special tarifs with rental providers, so you can get a relatively cheap car for the weekend.
The way it technically works is almost always the same: You sign up and you get an RFID Key Card. You go on the internet or use an App to see if a car is available in your area and book it. You go to the car, open it with you keycard and find the keys in the glovebox. Sometimes you have to put in a PIN first. Some providers have a monthly fee, some just charge the usage.
Some Websites for those interested:
www.car2go.com - Backed by Daimler - Smart Cars even in some NA cities
www.greenwheels.com - indipendent, has been around for ages
www.flinkster.de - Backed by Deutsche Bahn (german railways), they also have bikes for rent
www.stadtmobil.de
www.drive-now.com - Sixt (biggest german rental firm) and BMW - nice 1-series and Minis
www.web.quicar.de - Volkswagen got into the business,too
+ multiple regional projects