HOURCAR car-sharing presentation and discussion March 3, 2005

Area residents are invited to attend a presentation on, and discussion of, an innovative new car-sharing program at 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 3 in room 149 of Olin Hall on the Carleton College campus. HOURCAR is a service being launched this May in Minneapolis and St. Paul that will give subscribers the freedom to use a car on an as-needed basis, and only pay for what they use. Meeting participants will have the opportunity to learn about this program, and discuss the possible development of a similar program in Northfield.

HOURCAR program manager Kurt Fischer will describe the Twin Cities service. He and RENew Northfield representatives will then lead a discussion of whether and how a similar program might effectively serve Carleton and St. Olaf Colleges and the broader Northfield community.

The Twin Cities HOURCAR fleet will be comprised of hybrid 2005 Toyota Priuses, which average 55 miles per gallon and emit 90% fewer pollutants than the average new car. A Northfield HOURCAR fleet could include Priuses and other clean and efficient vehicles, such as diesel VW Jettas or Beetles (which can burn clean, renewable biodiesel fuel). It could also include one or several clean diesel or hybrid pickups or minivans in the future.

HOURCAR buys, insures, and maintains a fleet of member-shared cars. HOURCAR takes on all the responsibilities of owning the vehicles, including paying for fuel. HOURCARs are parked in hubs near members? homes and workplaces. Members make HOURCAR reservations online or by phone, and pay monthly dues and car usage fees.

Car sharing can make a car available to households that would otherwise not be able to afford a reliable vehicle, or enable households to downsize their family ?fleet.? Research indicates that car-sharing induces more thoughtful use of cars, and reduces overall driving. Car-sharing can also ease traffic congestion and parking constraints.

The Twin Cities HOURCAR program is sponsored by the St. Paul nonprofit Neighborhood Energy Consortium. The March 3 meeting is being sponsored by RENew Northfield, whose mission is to lead the Northfield-area community to energy self-sufficiency. The meeting is free and open to the public.

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For further information, contact:
Bruce Anderson
Board President
RENew Northfield
507.663.1675 (home)
larsand77@msn.com (home)
507.646.3454 (work)
andersba@stolaf.edu (work)