Car sharing services make it unnecessary to own a car

There is no rush to buy a car even if public transport or bicycle do not meet all your travel needs. Car sharing services allow you to use car on an as-needed basis. You can get a car even for a few hours at a time and there are pick up locations around the metropolitan area.

Car sharing is a good solution for occasional car needs. Car sharing companies offer users access to a variety of cars close to homes and workplaces. In order to be able to use the cars, you need to join the service. Once you have joined, no separate agreements are needed every time you need a car: you can book a car online or by phone.

Discounts on car sharing services for HSL’s Travel Card customers

HSL’s Travel Card customers get discounts on car sharing services of 24Rent and City Car Club. As an HSL’s Travel Card customer, you can join 24Rent for free and get a 50% discount on the basic monthly fee. As for City Car Club, HSL’s Travel Card customers get a 25% discount on the package prices.

Both service providers offer a variety of different cars, including electric and hybrid cars and vans. You can collect, open and return the car using your mobile phone. The minimum use time is 2 hours.

24Rent does not require membership but membership guarantees express and evening rents at a lower price and enables express rents also at night time. Car use is paid in advance and invoicing is based on time and kilometers driven. Fuel is paid separately. For example, renting a small car for two hours Monday to Friday costs €16 at the lowest.

City Car Club sends an invoice once a month for services used in the previous month. Fuel is included in the price and re-fueling is paid with a City Car Club fuel card if need be. 

There is also a peer-to-peer car sharing service called Kortteliauto through which you can share your own car.  

Smart driving is carefree

For occasional drivers, car sharing is much more carefree and cheaper than owning a car. Using a car sharing service is more economical than owning a car if you drive less than 10,000 km per year.

If you need a car for at least a day, renting one is usually a cheaper option. The minimum rental time is usually one day. HSL’s Travel Card customers get discounts also on the services of Hertz, Avis, Europcar and Sixt car rental services.

You can also set up a ride-sharing group. Ride-sharing with, for example, friends, neighbors or colleagues cuts travel costs and pollution. You can form a ride-sharing group even with people you don’t yet know. There are several online services available for this.

You can also use your own car in a smart way. You can easily drive your car to a Park & Ride and use good public transport connections for the rest of your journey. You can check Park & Ride sites here.

It is also worth learning to drive economically. With economic driving, you can save up to 12% in fuel consumption which means hundreds of euros of savings a year.