HOURCAR

for a while, i've noticed the signs "HOURCAR"at the lightrail station i stop at nearly every day when i don't cycle to work... i've also noticed a spiffy car parked at the lightrail station when usually cars aren't parked there longer than 20mins max. hmm... something seemed odd and potentially fascinating... so i decided to dig deeper into the mystery.

it took a while, BUT now i am a member of the HOURCAR car-share in the twin-cities!i am glad they accepted my UK driver's license and clean driving record! RAH! to test out the idea, i booked a wee slot of time this afternoon, cycled to the car, and did a grocery run at United Noodles. zipping, or rather, gilding about in one of these spiffy HYBRIDs feels pretty space-age, if you ask me!

i also braved the crazy network of highways to REI, the outdoor gear store, and TARGET to pick up a few things with AM (the navigator) who needed some stuff too! but alas, i didn't manage to get all my errands done (i didn't make it to the superTARGET at roseville... sob)... but i sure got a wee kick out of the fact that i got to drive ppl around today, instead of being driven, otherwise... =) kinda nice... although, anyone who's been my passenger(s) will know i am quite a nervous driver... oh well! i can only get better with practice! hahah

car-sharing is a pretty new but more common phenomenon in 'old' Europe. i think it started in the european continent in places like Germany and Switzerland and inspired similar trends in the UK; i lived near a car-share hub in Edinburgh before venturing into usa... as car-ownership seemed like the default practice for most people, i was pleasantly surprised that the idea or philosophy migrated to the States too... perhaps if the gas prices keep soaring (as they are!)... people will be forced into sharing cars... meanwhile the 'luxury' of owning a car here seems like a norm due to some form of 'necessity'.

i am not sure how this car-share thing will pan out... it seems like a wonderful (green & hippy) idea for running errands, particularly when i don't own a car (which is quite a huge responsibility, never mind the cost of it... something i am not sure if i can really afford...). and i get to drive a really cool car when i do! the only thing is that i've got to make sure i fit all my errands in within the time slot... so there's no dilly-dallying when it comes to using the HOURCAR... hmm ... guess it will teach me to be less indecisive... and i suppose i could rent a car over a longer period if i need to... like when i make my road-trip to somewhere exciting, someday... hmmmmm... hopefully, i'll still get to drive a spiffy car then!

posted by ~overacuppa~ on Saturday, 26 May, 2007 at 23:43 hrs