That's what the concept of car-sharing offers to thousands of people in 250 European cities and towns. Essentially, it's a co-operative car rental scheme. Munich's Stadt Auto club, for example, has 1,700 members. Each of them paid 80 to join up, plus a returnable deposit of 400 and a 6 monthly fee. In return, they have access to Stadt Auto's fleet of 64 vehicles, distributed around 32 reserved parking locations in the city.
Every member has a personal key or smart card and a booklet showing the cars available.
The city car club deals with car maintenance, insurance and all the other hassles car owners usually have to deal with themselves. Just the driving is left to you. The use of a car costs from 1.15 to 2.30 an hour, depending on its size, and most bookings are for less than six hours. Members almost always get the car they want, even at relatively short notice, and Stadt Auto plans to make it even easier for them by ensuring that there is always a car available within a 10-minute walk. The possibility of using a car-sharing vehicle for heavy shopping, excursions to the countryside or whatever, reduces the need for everyone to have their own private cars and also encourages them to use public transport.