Finally, city government wants to do something about San Francisco's congested parking scene, and it's looking to car sharing to help fix the problem. As of this morning the SFMTA will dedicate 900 of its parking spaces to three local car sharing companies. 

A few months ago, the City of San Francisco announced an ambitious car sharing policy and pilot project with the lofty goals of reducing parking congestion, improving the environment, and boosting the local economy. The SFMTA put out a open call for local car sharing companies to participate and gain parking spots all over the city. This morning the three winners were announced: Getaround, Zip Car, and City Car Share. 

As part of the new program, 900 SFMTA parking spaces – both on the street and in garages – will be exclusively dedicated to car share vehicles from these three companies with the hope that car sharing will become a truly viable alternative to car ownerhship. 

“A privately-owned vehicle is an expensive asset that often sits idle 22 or 23 hours a day. While some people need access to cars periodically, this pilot provides a way to test the viability of a growing transportation option for people who want car access without having to own a vehicle,” said SFMTA Director Ed Reiskin.

While industry leaders ZipCar and City Car Share allow their members to use vehicles owned by the company, Getaround was the only peer-to-peer company allotted spaces. Unlike traditional fleet-based car sharing companies, Getaround doesn’t own its cars. Instead, regular citizens register their car to share with other locals while they aren’t using it. According to Getaround, residents who share their car often make an additional $500 a month – and now those residents also have access to reserved SFMTA parking spots across the city. 

The benefits of the two-year program are expected to be substantial. Studies have shown that each shared vehicle removes approximately ten cars from the road. Thus, this project stands to eliminate 10,000 cars from San Francisco. 

What do you think? Are you ready to give up your car for the greater good?