San Diego car sharing to expand

San Diego’s car sharing program, which allows commuters and residents to rent vehicles for short trips, will expand this fall based on the success of a pilot project launched in 2011, city officials said.

Usage of the program has increased from 500 to 7,000 trips per week in less than four years, and 30,000 people have purchased memberships allowing them to use 400 vehicles parked mostly in urban areas near downtown.

Such popularity has prompted the city to make the program permanent and expand it from one company — Car2Go — to three, with the City Council expected to approve contracts with two additional providers in October.

“Our transportation future has to be one that’s governed by choice, where San Diegans have more options of getting from Point A to Point B,” said Councilman Todd Gloria, whose district includes most of Car2Go’s 33-square-mile service area. “Car sharing is a key way to do that, and the success of the pilot program has proven that.”

Studies show that car sharing, which is available in more than 1,000 cities worldwide, reduces car ownership, shrinks vehicle miles traveled and increases walking, biking and use of public transit.

It can also help solve the “last mile” problem, where mass transit gets commuters close to work or home but not quite there, leaving them in need of another option to close the gap.

A 2009 study by Mineta International Institute concluded that for every car sharing vehicle on the road, somewhere between nine and 13 vehicles are removed because people either sell their private car or use it much less.

City officials say they hope the expansion will also include service to additional neighborhoods farther from downtown.

Tuesday’s City Council agenda includes some municipal code changes needed to make parking of car-share vehicles convenient. They include allowing the cars to park at expired meters and establishing zones for the charging of electric vehicles, which car share companies use almost exclusively.

The exemptions don’t cost the city any parking fee money because they get reimbursed by car share companies, and the companies don’t receive any city subsidies.

Randy Wilde of the Center for Sustainable Energy said the parking rules are needed to help the program grow.

Increased use of car sharing is factored into regional transportation plans created by the San Diego Association of Governments, said Antoinette Meier, a senior transportation planner for the association.

“Car sharing supports a wide range of regional goals by reducing reliance on private automobiles, relieving traffic congestion and reducing parking demand and greenhouse gas emissions,” Meier said.

Data from Car2Go show that typical trips in San Diego are 8 to 15 minutes and that each vehicle gets used an average of between three and four times per day.

Users must pay a registration fee of $35, which covers parking, insurance and some other expenses. Fees are 41 cents per minute, but there are maximum charges of $15 an hour and $85 a day.

Available cars can be located on the Internet or with a smartphone app. Drivers can unlock their car with the same app or a membership card.

The city declined to identify the two new companies coming online, pending negotiations.