Baltimore?s first car-sharing program hit the road this week at Johns Hopkins? Homewood campus.
The university and Flexcar, a national chain, hope to set a new standard on how businesses and individuals can take an active role in reducing global warming and greenhouse gases that contribute to climate changes.
“Hopkins is committed to being environmentally responsible member of our community,” said Davis Bookhart, chairman of Hopkins Sustainability Committee and manager of the Office of Facilities Management. “Car-sharing can take as many as 17 cars off the street a day, which is good for the environment.”
Hopkins is providing parking spaces for Flexcar and helping with the maintenance of the vehicles. The cars can be rented by anyone in the Baltimore region.
“These are efficient cars that will help reduce congestion and will reduce several million pounds of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere over the next few years and it is something we all can do,” said Bookhart.
It costs $35 to join the Flexcar program. Rental rates are $9 per hour, which includes free gas, insurance and 150 free miles. The daily rate is $60 and vehicles can be rented for up to three days.
“Flexcar gives people access to a car when they need one,” said John Williams, a spokesman for Flexcar. “For those who commute to campus, they can have access to a car there without having to drive there, and those in the community have access to the cars and will also benefit from reduced parking congestion with more and more campus workers leaving their cars at home.”
Flexcar is already operating in the Washington area and on the campus of the University of Maryland.
