The newest carsharing company is now open for business in St. Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota. Launching with six Toyota Priuses at 4 pods, Hourcar is a project of the Neighborhood Energy Consortium, a St. Paul nonprofit organization, and is modeled after City CarShare.
They offer two plans:
Standard Plan - $5/month membership - $ 6.95/hour + 45¢ per mile
Value Plan $20/month membership - $ 4.95/hour + 39¢ per mile
Members can change plans without charge once a year. Both plans have an off-peak rate of $2.95/hour, 11 pm – 7 am, plus mileage. There's a $150 application fee ($100 of which is refundable if a person quits within 60 days of joining.)
The program was started with seed funding $275,000 from the federal government, $50,000 from Hennepin County for service in Minneapolist, the state Office of Environmental Assistance, and $25,000 from the Saint Paul Foundation. It hopes to be financially self-sufficient at 500 members. Send your best wishes to General Manager Kurt Fisher at (651) 221-4462
