Originally Posted by
crazybikerchick
Its all really a sliding scale. But IMO if you don't personally own a car you are car-free. Some car-free people are still quite car dependent (getting friends to drive them places or taking taxis in abundance). However I think if you don't own a car, then you are likely to take far less trips by car. Since with your car share you will be paying by the hour for every trip, I'm sure you will end up taking less trips by car than when you owned one.
When I was in Toronto I found the car sharing programs had quite a hefty hourly rate. So it seemed on the occasions I would need to use a car, renting one from a rental company by the day or taking transit to the store and a cab home, would almost always work out better. YMMV depending on the distance and time of your trips and the cost of your car sharing program versus rentals.
You make a good point about the high hourly rate for car sharing. In Seattle, where I live, that rate is US $7.00/hour, which seems like a lot. However, I've calculated that in the last two months I've driven my own car a grand total of about one hour. So, provided you're able to avoid leaving it parked for long periods while you're "on the clock," the car-sharing thing is a no-brainer. If I'd ever need a car for longer periods, like when family comes to visit, then yes, renting is a better option.
To be honest, it's really astonishing to me how totally unnecessary my car turned out to be. I mean, come on, I live in the US, fer crying out loud...