Have you ever wondered how intensive your private car is in use?

I'm not talking business use, but everything else: commuting, shopping, going places, and the like. I'd say if we consider an average of an hour per day, we'd be pretty close to the truth. And even if it is more than that, we must recognize one fact: For the greatest part of the day, your car is of no use at all. All it does is using room at public or private parking lots.

We could save a great deal of room and energy if we could make private car use more efficient. Car sharing is the magic word with this. Instead of filling hundreds and thousands of parking lots in city centers, shared cars would be in use all day long and only need a fraction of the room required for completely private vehicels. Grey energy per capita would be much lower, too. And if we could find better ways to increase seat occupation while commuting to and from work, a significant fraction of vehicles would be useless, anyway, and even more energy could be saved.

True: These thoughts are not new. But there is still a great potential. The prerequisite for efficient car sharing is - however - an organization which takes care of users and cars, and which provides the most convenient communication technology available for bookings and other requests.

Recently, I was elected a member of the control committee of Mobility, the swiss pioneer in car sharing. Mobility (see external Link) has proven that, if well organized, car sharing can be a very successful business, reaching far more people then one might expect and thus generating a great deal of environmentally friendly mobility alternatives. They are offering professional car sharing for private persons and businesses alike. And the great thing for all users: One can choose from several types of cars in whichever size needed, from two-seater smarts up to lorries, if neccessary, at little cost. They made private car ownership needless for tens of thousands of clints.

Car sharing is the way to go - and believe me: If you opt for a shared car instead of a private car, you will get rid of a whole bunch of annoying tasks linked to your auto, such as car wash, tire & lube works, car catalogue studying, who-can-use-the-car-tonight-discussions and and and...