I actually really like this idea. I almost wish that I did drive, and that i started driving when i was in school because this would have been the perfect answer.
UB has a problem with a lack of parking space for both students and faculty, and people not willing to give up their cars out of fear that they may need it. a lot of students car pool to and from grocery stores and appointments and whatnot but they still bring up their cars because they may need to drive somewhere and not be able to find someone to take them.
Buffalo car share has been an idea that’s been floating around campus for a couple of years now. the idea is that for the casual driver or the person who can’t afford a car currently, a car share would be the perfect answer- you sign up for the service, rent the car out, and return it when you don’t need it anymore. it would take cars off the road because the cars would be in service only when needed and would be used by multiple people in any given day.
it has also been floated around as a green idea- that fewer cars on the road is naturally greener and has less of an impact. i’m not sure how much of an impact a program like this would work out to be, but i know that it would work out to be much cheaper in the long run for someone who only makes small trips to rent out a car share than buy a car. now that i’m out of school and working it wouldn’t make sense for me to have a program like this, but it would have been perfect when i was working on my master’s for Mid and i to be able to rent out a car like this to make it to app0intments or pick up groceries that were too large for the bus. Buffalo also has a bus system where most of the major hubs are covered but coverage can be spotty, especially on off hours so the bus while being a viable option most of the time may not be appropriate for every trip. granted, this program doesn’t work well for those that don’t drive but that’s the nature of the beast.
