We sold our cars when we moved to Rome, and although my bright blue BMW X-3 was the best vehicle
My first Car Share. Ric navigated and pointed out the red lights.
I ever owned, we have not once regretted being car-less. But sometimes you cannot get where you want to go by public transportation: perhaps a special museum, a lake, or a picturesque small town. Or public transportation takes too long, turning a quick trip to IKEA into a 4 hour marathon. A few times we have rented cars from Hertz for a few days, but we have to pick the car up by Noon on Saturday and cannot return it until 8:30 Monday morning. So we end up paying for a car for 2+ days, €95-€130 when all we really needed was a car for half-a-day.
Now we have Car Sharing Roma. Like Zip Cars in the U.S., one obtains a membership and pays a small fee per hour and per kilometer to use a communal car. It took a few weeks, a 12 page contract in Italian, several on-line transactions, and a trip to Poste Italiane, but we were successful. Today we took our maiden voyage and it was smooth sailing. My little Car Sharing card opened the door to the reserved car (only a 10 minute walk from the apartment), and other than being swarmed by motorini drivers at one point on the GRA (Grande Raccordo Anulare), it was smooth sailing. The up front cost is about the same for the first year as two weekend rentals from Hertz, so it’s a no-brainer. Plus you can borrow a car with little or no advance notice, any time of the day or night. Looking forward to more weekend outings in-and-around Rome and Lazio, because sometimes you just need a car.
Our almost-neighborhood Car Sharing point.
Girovaga 