Roaming the streets of Philadelphia needn’t be so expensive it breaks the bank because now, thanks to a nonprofit organization called PhillyCarShare, you don’t even have to own or rent an automobile to get where you need to go.

And again, thanks to PhillyCarShare, you can drive a different car every day. Or every trip, even if you make several trips a day. You can enjoy a ride in an environmentally friendly Toyota Prius for your everyday driving needs but switch to something more luxurious, say a BMW, when you want to impress. Need to haul things too big for a standard car? Hop into a pick-up or hatchback big enough to carry new furniture, a month’s worth of groceries, or the Great Mastiff that has become master of your personal domain.

When you enroll as a member in PhillyCarShare, you have a key to all these vehicles. And more. And you have access to them without ever having to make monthly payments, buy insurance, pay for expensive repairs and maintenance services, or even keep them clean. And, oh, yeah. You don’t even have to buy the gasoline. Ever.

How does PhillyCarShare do it? They provide all vehicles, which are parked at reserved parking spaces located throughout the city. The parking spaces are free to member drivers and are always available.

Just log onto your online membership account or call the PhillyCarShare reservation line and specify the type of car you need, when you need it, and where you want to pick it up and where you expect to leave it when your journey is complete. PhillyCarShare takes care of all the rest.

To use a PhillyCarShare vehicle, members pay for vehicle use at a rate that starts at $3.90 per hour plus $0.16 per mile. You can reserve a vehicle for the whole day, too, at a rate that begins at only $39.00. Compare that to the cost of ownership, which, according to AAA, is about 62.3 cents per mile, or $6,234 if the average car is driven 10,000 miles in a year. And in Philadelphia, you can expect to pay an additional $1,200 a year just to park it.

PhillyCarShare’s reservation and maintenance staff is on duty 24/7 so you need never be stranded for any reason. Reservations can be made months in advance, if need be, or a vehicle can be made available within a matter of minutes. About 80% of all trips are booked on the same day they take place.

Child seats are provided and the pick-ups and hatchbacks are big enough to hold a bicycle. A few cars even have bicycle racks.

More than half of all PhillyCarShare vehicles are hybrids, with pods located throughout the city for refueling. Every vehicle has a map that points the way to free parking spaces and refueling pods. And driving a hybrid means you’ll earn one full hour of use each month at absolutely no charge to you.

What are some of the other really cool things about PhillyCarShare?

• Membership is free and you pay as you go, without the hassle of long-term contractual commitments.
• All drivers must be 18 years old or older and must have a relatively clean driving record.
• Every car is covered by $1 million in insurance and drivers can purchase a $0 deductible option if they choose to.
• Drivers even get to ride SEPTA rail services absolutely free.
• Your key fits every car in the PhillyCarShare fleet.
• You get a gas card so you can fill the tank when it drops to the 1/4-tank level but PhillyCarShare pays the bill. You don’t spend a penny on gasoline.

PhillyCarShare is owned and operated by locals so local drivers can feel good about keeping their driving dollars in the city they love. With PhillyCarShare at your service, why bother owning your own expensive, hassle-filled, gas-guzzling car?