http://philadelphia.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/stories/2004/04/05/daily5.html?t=printable
City starts partnership with PhillyCarShare Athena D. Merritt Staff Writer Fifty administrative vehicles were cut from the city's fleet Monday as Philadelphia kicked off a partnership with PhillyCarShare aimed at reducing its fleet and budget costs. PhillyCarShare, which was formed in 2002, makes vehicles available on a per use basis, charging by the hour and mile and, in exchange, picks up insurance, maintenance and gas costs. Philadelphia is the first major city in North America to participate in municipal car sharing, PhillyCarShare said. The one-year deal, which is the largest awarded to PhillyCarShare, is part of Mayor John F. Street's effort to reduce the city fleet by 400 through 2005 to close next year's projected $227 million budget deficit. The move is expected to save hundreds of thousands of dollars. The city currently has more than 400 non-police sedans and sport utility vehicles and spends an average of $6,200 on each vehicle for gas, parts, parking, labor and amortized acquisition costs. "While certain City employees require vehicular transportation, the provision of a dedicated city-owned vehicle is usually the most expensive option. In the future, employees who need transportation will be directed to other accommodations, such as enrollment in the City's personal auto, automated vehicle sharing programs or other transportation alternatives," said Phil Goldsmith, city managing director. City employees are reimbursed on a per-mile basis under the city's Personal Auto Program (PAP) when they use personal vehicles for business-related travel. City employees without personal vehicles will be given access to PhillyCarShare. Since Thursday, 13 city departments have participated in the initial pilot program, said Tanya Seaman, executive director of PhillyCarShare. "There will be more departments that will be participating in car sharing," Seaman said. The city will pay $3.90 per hour and 39 cent per mile for use of the vehicles, Seaman said. PhillyCarShare will provide the city with 24-hour access to their fleet of more than 700 Toyota Matrix wagons and hybrid-gas electric Toyota Prius parked at 17 Center City and University City locations. City employees will receive keys and be able to make reservations for as little as 15 minutes or up to days using the Internet or touch-tone phones. Berkeley, California plans to follow Philadelphia's lead this summer by partnering with San Francisco-based City CarShare to replace 25 municipal vehicles, said Matt Nichols, principal transportation planner for the city of Berkeley. "This is a priority of the mayor and city manager. We'll be watching Philadelphia's experience closely," Nichols said. The majority of PhillyCarShare's members are households and between 20 and 25 businesses participate in the program, said Seaman. Among the businesses participating are the Clean Air Council and the Pennsylvania Environmental Council. Thanks, John Ellingsworth http://ellingsworth.org/john/ AIM: jellings28 ---- You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named "UnivCity." To unsubscribe or for archive information, see <http://www.purple.com/list.html>.
