[sustran] fwd: Singapore car sharing update

[Paul Barter]

Straits Times
Apr 07, 2001 

Car sharing saves her a bundle

Access to your own private transport can cost as little as $100 a month, if
you choose to join a co-operative 
By Philip Allen 

FREELANCE estate agent and mother of two Margie Lee, 33, has to juggle work
appointments with looking after her children.


As her husband uses the family car, she normally relies on public transport.

But she also has another option - car sharing.

For $100 a month, she has access to a car whenever she needs one at short
notice - through NTUC Income's car co-operative. This began in 1997.

Generally, she uses the car twice a week for three to four hours at a time.

The flexibility of the scheme is one of the reasons she has remained a
satisfied customer from the time she joined it when it was launched.

'I usually book for about three hours at a stretch,' she said. 'If that's
not enough, I call them to extend.' Another big benefit for her is the cost.
She finds taking taxis to meet clients for viewings of homes expensive.

'Living in Pasir Ris, it costs at least $12 to $15 to go to the city
centre,' she said.

Renting a car is also a poor option, because of its cost, she added.

'You pay $80 to $120 for a day's use. That blows my one-month budget in a
single day!'

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for the rest of the story see
http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/storyprintfriendly/0,1887,35197,00.html?