Matt Cannon uses Zipcar twice a week. On Thursday nights and Sunday mornings, he lugs a bag full of church music books and a change of shoes on his way to a 2005 periwinkle-hued hybrid vehicle that is always parked in the same spot, squeezed onto the driveway of a house not far from the panhandle of Golden Gate Park. He pulls a white magnetized card from his wallet and passes it in front of the top corner of the windshield on the driver’s side. The doors unlock, Cannon relieves his burden in the back seat and slips behind the wheel where he pushes the start button before driving off.

Though he can’t afford his own, Cannon really needs a car for his twice-a-week gig on piano and organ at the Methodist church down the peninsula. He can’t drop the job, as it accounts for a third of his monthly income, but the never-ending Caltrain trip is just too wretched.

Owning a car in San Francisco is exceedingly expensive. Even if the car is paid off, there are myriad costs involved including auto insurance, gas and maintenance. Add in the interminable search for parking every day, and personal car ownership becomes entirely too taxing. Car sharing offers the option of reserving well-maintained, newer cars for anywhere from half an hour to days at a time, gasoline and insurance included. Zipcar and City CarShare, the two car sharing agencies in San Francisco, boast fleets of fashionable vehicles located at parking spots throughout the city that can be reserved either online or over the telephone. Whether it’s for the occasional commute to work, running errands, or a quick weekend getaway, car sharing makes more sense all the time.

“It’s a fantastic concept. I specifically joined City CarShare because of my job at the church,” says Cannon, 28, who switched to Zipcar because it better fit his specific needs. “I love having the car for my commute. I don’t have to pay for gas and it saves on the parking nightmare that is San Francisco.”

Zipcar, the largest car sharing company in North America, introduced its cars to San Francisco in September of 2005. Mini Cooper convertibles, Prius Hybrids, and pickup trucks are all part of the Zipcar armada, which is spread out over almost 50 locations in the city. Zipcar’s hourly rates start at $8.50 (including mileage), and a gas card is tucked into the sun visor so that members can fill up once the fuel drops to a quarter tank.

Chris Loeffler, 24, is new to San Francisco. Recently relocated from New Zealand, he moved into the city with the idea of trying to get by without a car.

“MUNI is a great service, but not for everything,” says Loeffler, who works in public relations for a television company. “Sometimes I just really need to get out of the city or carry a heavy load from Costco.”

Loeffler joined Zipcar in February and uses the cars about once every two weeks. He says car sharing is the way to go once you consider the costs involved with personal car ownership.

“And they don’t charge extra for drivers under the age of 25, which is great,” says Loeffler. “Plus the cars I reserve are a block from where I live in North Beach, which is closer than I could park if I owned my own car.”

City CarShare is a non-profit agency launched in 2001 to provide affordable access to cars while improving the environment. They currently claim more than 4,200 active members in San Francisco, Berkeley and Oakland. City CarShare charges $4 an hour for their vehicles, and an additional .44 cents per mile. Their fleet also includes Mini Coopers and Prius Hybrids, as well as Scions and Volkswagen Beetles.

Judy Lee was in love with her car when she lived on the East Coast. When she moved to San Francisco, she decided to leave her love behind and has been a City CarShare member for almost five years.

“City CarShare’s cause is really compelling and I believe in what they’re doing,” says Lee, 31. “And they’re not trying to make money off me. I think that’s really important. They’re just trying to cover their costs.”

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