KITCHENER – Grand River CarShare is expanding its service area and will be offering carsharing services to Hamilton residents by late summer of this year.

Grand River CarShare, a non-profit cooperative, has been working this spring with a dedicated group of Hamilton residents to bring carsharing to that community, and is now recruiting members. The co-operative will initially place three vehicles in Hamilton, where it will operate under the name Hamilton CarShare.

"Combining an enthusiastic group of new members in Hamilton with more than a decade of experience in Waterloo Region, we are expecting Hamilton CarShare to be very successful early on," Jason Hammond, President of the co-operative, said. "With the recession hitting hard and continuing deep concern for our climate, carsharing is an idea whose time has come for Hamilton."

What has transformed into Hamilton CarShare began two months ago as a project of Green Venture, Clean Air Hamilton and First Unitarian Church.

“It’s moving so quickly because people are working together and everyone is contributing their skill set, and that’s what a co-operative is,” Sapphire Singh, CarShare Project Coordinator at Green Venture, said.

Carsharing co-operatives operate a fleet of vehicles available to members on self-serve pay-per-use basis. Reservations for carshare vehicles can be made for as little as 30 minutes, or as long as needed. Members are billed monthly for insurance and vehicle use. Gas and vehicle maintenance costs are included in the co-op’s rates.

Carsharing is a great alternative to owning your own vehicle, and reduces overall transportation costs for

households. Carsharing also helps improve air quality through reduced tailpipe emissions.

Grand River CarShare has been operating in Waterloo Region for 11 years, and maintains a fleet of 11 vehicles located throughout Kitchener, Waterloo, and Cambridge. The co-op continues to grow during the current recession as households seek ways to reduce their transportation costs. Many CarShare members find they can spend less on transportation by reducing the number of cars they own, as well as by using Grand River Transit, cycling and walking.