Car co-ops are now operating in almost every European country - except Ireland. DEREK SCALLY in Berlin talks to some former car owners who find sharing is cheap and convenient
Germans are a nation of guilt-ridden car lovers. In their hearts every German adores his or her car, whether it is a sleek Mercedes or a chugging Trabant. In their heads, however, they know that motoring is a guilty, environmentally-unfriendly pleasure.
It's comes as no surprise that a Berlin company selling guilt-free motoring has taken off like a sweet shop selling fat-free chocolate.
The car-cooperative "Stattauto" provides people who occasionally need a car with what are literally drive-yourself-taxis.
At the drop of a hat, Berliners can call a hotline or log onto a website and rent a car for furniture shopping or a weekend away.
They then pick up their chosen car, from a small runabout to a luxury saloon, from over 30 stations in residential areas around Berlin, thanks to agreements with churches and car park owners.
The system is fully automated, operating on a network of on-board computers and chipcards. The chipcard can also be used to fill up the petrol tank and charge it to Stattauto at any petrol station.
"Stattauto" offers payment plans similar to mobile phone companies. Customers who sign a year's contract are offered three options, from € 39 a month for occasional users to €150 for frequent users.
Unlike a mobile phone standing charge, however, the "Stattauto" monthly fee is an account credit, with customers only paying more if their rental exceeds their monthly fee. For infrequent customers who don't want to pay every month, there is a non-refundable service charge of €4.90 to use the service.
Frequent "Stattauto" customers are people on an afternoon trip to the local IKEA furniture warehouse who need a car to lug home the famous flat-pack furniture. The customer rents a car for four hours and travels 40 km. The total rental price ranges from euro 16 to euro 22, depending on the monthly plan. A two-day weekend break, covering 500km costs around euro 144.
Berlin teacher Gabi Riemer has used "Stattauto" for 10 years mostly for large shopping or going out at night with friends.
"I don't always need a car, but when I do there is one round the corner. And because I don't have to worry about oil changes or insurance, it's much cheaper than having my own car," she said.
"Stattauto" have another product for guilty German car owners who feel they are not getting value for money from their vehicle. They can sell it and lease a Stattauto car for agreed times during the week, letting others others use it at other times.
Several Berlin firms lease company cars from "Stattauto" during the week, then let private users lease the cars at the weekend.
After a decade in business, Stattauto has a fleet of over 150 cars and over 2,000 members. Deutsche Bahn, the national train company, has just launched a deal giving its loyalty-card holders special deals with "Stattauto" and other car co-op companies in other cities like Munich and Hamburg.
In Switzerland, the nationwide car-sharing organisation has 1,200 cars, all co-operatively owned by the organisation's 25,000 members.
The European Car Share umbrella group predicts there will be 350,000 car-sharers in Europe by next year, with car co-ops operating in almost every European country - except Ireland.
Impressed by success elsewhere, transport consultant Graham Lightfoot founded the Co-Op Car Club in Dublin in 1997. Its 20 members paid £10 a month and 15p to 20p a mile to share three cars, parked at two DART stations. Despite sponsorship from the Dublin Transportation Office (DTO) and the EU, the operation folded after 15 months, mainly because of insurance problems.
"The situation here is different to Germany where it's the car that's insured not the driver. The insurance companies didn't understand what we were trying to do and wouldn't give us cover," said Lightfoot.
DTO transport planner Marian Wilson says that with proper insurance and the backing of a "heavyweight institutional champion" like Dublin Corporation, there is no reason why the concept wouldn't work in Dublin.
"It's possible that with more technology it would now work better," she says. "Perhaps the Irish co-op was just ahead of its time."