The Bay Area has always been a driving force in the area of innovative, efficient, and funky trends. In a city so busy and full of life, it is hard not to notice that people have places to go, and people to see. How they get from point A to point B constitute a variety of different way.
San Francisco State University is a commuter campus; therefore, the problems of transportation impact its students directly. Numerous students and faculty commute from all over the city and bay each day. While the Bay Area has many efficient public transportation systems, it at times can be restricting and unreliable. For many State students, owning a car is convenient but difficult.Â
San Francisco State University senior Favienne Howspain has owned a car since high school, but has only been able to have it with her in San Francisco one third of the time. She knows firsthand the difficulty of owning a car in the city.
“I’ve definitely experienced troubles with having a car,” said Howsepain. “Luckily I don’t need my car, but it’s more ideal to have. With that being said, it can make it hard when finding housing. Often they don’t have parking, and when they do it’s at least $150 extra in rent. Last semester I lived in Sunset where street cleaning outside my house was only once a week so it was fairly easy to store my car. Sometimes you forget though, I’ve gotten a couple tickets.”
Many people find that at the end of the day, owning a car is stressful, expensive, and unnecessary. For Howsepain, and many other car owners of San Francisco, car sharing may be a simpler and more beneficial alternative.
Car sharing has become increasingly popular in the United States especially within large metropolitan areas with thriving populations, all of whom live in a confined area. It allows people the benefits of owning a car without the hassle and expenses.
Gaining momentum in San Francisco through companies like City CarShare and Zipcar, car sharing allow its customers to rent a car for short periods of time, most often by the hour, but can be rented for the whole day or even just a few minutes, depending on the company. Car reservations can usually be made on the smartphone and picked up at one of the many designated parking lots around the city.Â
With the rising expenses of living in the city and limited street parking, car sharing saves its customer money that would otherwise be spent on parking and general automobile upkeep. It also saves customers time and energy while still allowing the freedom to travel wherever they want whenever they want.
“Car sharing is one of the many transportation options available to San Franciscans. It can help reduce parking demand and greenhouse gas emissions while improving mobility,” said Mayor Ed Lee when talking to the SFMTA. “Studies show that each car sharing vehicle replaces about 15 private vehicles.”
If the San Francisco community adopts this alternative, it will benefit the roads and the environment with fewer cars on the road and less pollution in the air.