City CarShare is a Bay Area nonprofit on a mission to provide convenient, affordable access to cars so that we can reduce individual car ownership—and improve the environment and quality of life in our cities.

We continually strive to make our service so convenient, so reliable, and so affordable that people will prefer using our cars to owning their own. In doing so, our members are helping to reduce traffic, parking problems, and dependence on oil—while promoting cleaner air, quieter streets, and more open space.

In 2001 a group of Bay Area transportation activists launched City CarShare with the help of several local nonprofits and the cities of San Francisco, Oakland, and Berkeley. We've enjoyed strong community support from the beginning and have partnered successfully with local transportation agencies and other community groups. In 2006, the for-profit companies Zipcar and Flexcar entered the market, validating City CarShare's success.

We're a nonprofit because we feel that is the best way to provide great service to our members for the long-term, while staying focused on our mission. City CarShare remains dedicated to socially responsible car sharing and, true to our purpose and mission, continues to work with community, government and private companies to support the growth and expansion of car sharing.

Best of all, we also have the support of our many thousands of members—a group that is growing fast!

Want to be a part of our mission? Join us or support us or read our guide to starting up car sharing in your community: long version  short version.