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You are here: Home News German News Car sharing growing in Germany

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19/02/2009Car sharing growing in Germany

As car sales are dropping in Germany, more and more people are subscribing to the idea of collective vehicles.

Frankfurt – Sales by German car sharing agencies jumped by 12 percent last year as the idea of having a collective vehicle gains traction in the biggest European auto market, BCS, a federal umbrella group for car sharing companies, said Thursday.

Car sharing requires subscribing to a service that gives access to a fleet of vehicles reserved by telephone or via the Internet and which are often picked up though the use of a magnetic card.

A major difference with rental agencies is that the cars are reserved for subscribers and can be used for very short periods of time.

The concept provides regular access to a car without having to pay for the vehicle, maintenance or insurance. It also helps get around the problem of parking in many urban areas.

In Germany, where cars remain a major consumer item, the number of people using shared autos has grown from 116,000 in early 2008 to 137,000 one year later.

The number of cars shared increased by 22 percent to 3,900 over the same period.

In theory, therefore, 35 people share each car.

Over roughly the same period, German auto sales fell by 14 percent, a trend seen in mature economies worldwide.

The number of German garages where the cars can be parked and picked up freely has grown by 16 percent to 1,850 the federation said.

AFP/Expatica


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