A low hum of traffic lines Burlington’s streets at 8:45 am on a Monday morning. Cars inch along, waiting impatiently for their turn at the stop light. A steady stream of exhaust spews from a colorful array of tailpipes, making frozen patterns in the icy Vermont air. Today, more than three-quarters of Vermonters get to work by car, with the majority driving alone. Average car ownership in Vermont? Two cars per household. The story of transportation in Vermont did not always reflect this car dependent society, and there is potential for future change as some companies work to decrease single use vehicles through carsharing. CarShare VT is celebrating its 10th anniversary in Burlington, working towards this goal and a more sustainable future, striving for network expansion and membership growth.

One of the CarShare VT fleet’s new vehicles. (photo credit: Isabel Lisle)

Before World War II, Americans used other forms of transportation to commute to work. Many people lived in cities and towns, taking public buses, trolleys and trains to get around. Robin Chase, founder and CEO of ZipCar, writes that in those days, about 40 percent did not own cars. As soldiers returned home from the war and people began moving outside of cities to mass-produced housing projects, a growing need for specialized forms of transportation developed in the suburbs. Thus began the building of highways inevitably followed by an onslaught of personal automobiles.

This car-centric solution generates a toxic impact on our environment. An article published by National Geographic states that vehicles produce about one-third of all U.S. air pollution, emitting smog, carbon monoxide, and other pollutants from the tailpipe into the atmosphere at street level.  The actual production of automobiles is environmentally intensive because materials like steel, rubber, glass, and plastics must be created to start the process. The article mentions that gas and petroleum products cause ecosystem damage at the extraction level and have the potential to cause disasters like oil spills during shipping. As world demand rises, the price of gas will undoubtedly increase.

Organizations are popping up in cities around the country on a mission to combat these negative environmental effects while redesigning the norms around transportation.  Carsharing promotes a network of shared vehicles that members can use to get around their city. According to a study done by the Transportation Sustainability Research Center at Berkeley, one carsharing vehicle replaces 9-13 vehicles, along with most users increasing their use of other forms of transportation such as taking the bus, walking, biking, and carpooling. The study found that with less cars on the road, greenhouse gas emissions are reduced by 34 – 41% per year for one household.  In addition, it reveals that carsharing has major financial benefits for its members with a total of $154 – $435 saved per month by US household members after joining carshare. Because many of these members are not also buying cars of their own, there is a reduction of vehicle miles travelled per year of 27 – 43% considering vehicles sold and purchases postponed.

Promotional sign for CarShare VT. (photo credit: Isabel Lisle)

This idea of car sharing travelled to the streets of Burlington in 2008, with the name of CarShare VT. Ten years later, the organization now provides 1,000 active members with year round access to twenty different vehicles in both Burlington and Winooski. On average, each vehicle is used several hours a day by anywhere between one and six members, with the length of each of those trips lasting from a full day to half an hour. There is a one time $30 application fee to join, and members benefit from free 24 hour roadside assistance, a gas card, ski racks and bike racks, and access to any car with a key fob. Their mission is to “provide an affordable, convenient, and reliable alternative to private car ownership that enhances the environmental, economic, and social wellbeing of our region and planet.”I used my CarShare membership the other day to drive to Stowe, and I loved the convenience of simply booking the car online, fobbing into the car, and driving! If I needed more time, I could simply add time to my reservation. Curious about the success of this non-profit organization and its potential for expansion, I interviewed Tim, the Member Services Manager at CarShare VT.

He explained that about a quarter of CarShare members are full-time UVM and Champlain College students. The remaining three-quarters are a mixture of families, young workers and professionals, and business members who use carsharing instead of having a small fleet of company cars. Their demographic mainly mirrors that of Burlington as a whole, as far as age, income level, and race, with carsharing members skewing slightly younger than the average Burlingtonian, in line with the nationwide trend of declining levels of car ownership among young people.

Interestingly, the main motivation of many members is financial, as many drivers choose not to own their own costly vehicle. They also cite convenience and time saving as a major reason for vehicle sharing, as CarShare handles many of the more time-consuming and frustrating details of car ownership (inspections, maintenance, repairs, snow removal, parking concerns, insurance, etc.). It seems that members put environmental reasons second to economic incentives when signing up, although they appreciate the reduced reliance on fossil fuel consumption that carsharing provides. From an economic standpoint, CarShare has the potential to gain a vast amount of customers looking to save money as car and gas prices rise.

As a small, local non-profit service, CarShare VT faces several challenges in maintaining a safe, affordable, and efficient carsharing program. For one, most carsharing services work best in large cities with high population densities and extensive infrastructure for public transport, cyclists, and pedestrians. This infrastructure in Burlington is still in its development phase, and the size of the city makes individual car ownership the most obvious and convenient option for a large portion of the population. Members rely to some degree on combining carsharing with other alternatives to car ownership, so continuing to develop a reliable network of public transportation in Burlington is key to the success of the program. CarShare does not see carsharing in isolation as a total replacement for individuals, households, and businesses transitioning away from car ownership; they believe that for many of their members, carsharing in an important component of a car free lifestyle, that also includes public transportation, biking, walking, car pooling, ride hailing, and other options that are available and accessible to folks.

They are regularling looking to expand the program to other communities in Vermont, but many towns lack the factors that make Burlington and Winooski viable for carsharing.  High population density, varied public transit options, general walkability and bikeability of the town, and support from local businesses, the municipal government, and higher education institutions are all important things they look for, and unfortunately there are few communities in the state that can adequately meet all these needs. They hope that in the future there will be opportunities to expand, or support others in their efforts to start unique local carsharing services, but they are not quite there yet.

Even so, the smallest independent carsharing company in North America is largely self- sufficient financially, relying on generous support from private donors, grants, or government funding. They have thrived for ten years in a constantly evolving industry, growing from a modest array of cars to a large fleet of vehicles and members.

Five years from now, driving around Burlington may be a totally different experience. It’s 8:45 am on a Monday morning and the streets are free of congestion and tailpipe exhaust. A few “coffee awake” employees drive by in a CarShare vehicle, carpooling with friends and coworkers. The vehicles are now electric, and charging stations line priority parking spots in parking lots around the city, powered by solar panel shelters. Several morning enthusiasts ride past on Greenride Bikeshare bicycles, using an automatic assist button to peddle up the hill. Others bustle to work on foot, walking on tree lined sidewalks and well paved paths. Some take the reliable public bus around town, stopping at a wide variety of locations with easy access to the airport, grocery stores, restaurants, and businesses. Friends and families out of town over the weekend booked a special car with CarShare out of a new weekend hub, equipped with all day rental cars and a discount carpooling rate. There is less traffic noise, less pollution, and more pedestrians out enjoying the crisp Vermont air.

As sustainability moves towards the front of agendas here in Vermont as an economic and environmental priority, a car sharing paradigm shift is on the horizon for Burlington’s transportation system. The success of CarShare VT suggests a bright future for this non-profit and the redesigning of Vermont’s single use automobile culture.

Happy 10th birthday, CarShare VT!

Isabel Lisle, our spring 2019 Vermont Independent journalism intern, is a 3rd year University of Vermont student pursuing an undergraduate environmental studies degree. This is her first article in a four part series focusing on TRANSPORTATION in Vermont.

Sources:

“Cars and Their Environmental Impact.” National Geographic, National Geographic, 28 Oct. 2017,

Chase, Robin. Does Everyone in America Own a Car? U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, BUREAU OF INTERNATIONAL INFORMATION PROGRAMS.

Shaheen, Susan. “Carsharing Trends and Research Highlights.” SlideShare, 1 June 2017.