Carsharing is not the same as ridesharing. Ridesharing occurs when you drive your car and get paid for transporting one or more people from one place to another. Carsharing involves you allowing others to rent your car. The people who rent their vehicles out are called hosts.
The vehicle is either dropped off or picked up – the host and renter communicate with each other to figure out when the car can be picked up and dropped off.
There are a variety of benefits to carsharing for hosts, renters and the environment. Hosts can make money by allowing others to use their cars. Renters might not own vehicles so carsharing allows them to get a car when they need it. There are often fewer restrictions with carsharing compared to renting a car. By sharing a car instead of owning or leasing, users do not have as many costs as those who own vehicles.
Sharing cars also results in fewer cars being on the road, which means less greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change. Carsharing also results in fewer miles driven, as those who rent carsharing vehicles usually travel fewer miles.