HONOLULU — A committee of the Honolulu City Council has advanced a bill to set aside city parking spaces for car-sharing vehicles.
The City Council Budget Committee on Thursday gave preliminary approval to Bill 65, allowing the city to charge fees so it can be compensated for lost parking revenues from spaces provided to car-sharing organizations, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported.
Environmental groups back car-sharing as one way to reduce traffic. It typically involves renting cars or trucks by the hour or even minute.
One model ties cars to specific parking places and requires them to be returned there, said Mark Garrity, deputy transportation services director.
“You know exactly where that car is going to be” when deciding to make a reservation for it, he said. “You go use it, and you bring it back to that spot.”
A “free-floating” or “one-way rental” model allows customers to find and return cars throughout a jurisdiction. Customers use a smart-device application to find available vehicles.
Two companies already are operating short-term rental programs on Oahu.
Bill 65 would let the city charge annual stall fees of up to $3,000, depending on their location.
Aaron Landry of Kakaako said he has embraced car sharing and is a member of a program in place on Oahu. The concept might allow some families live without a car, he said.
“This is something that we should definitely be striving for,” he said.
Representatives of Enterprise CarShare, which began offering short-term rentals to university students on Oahu in 2012, and of Car2Go, another company in operation, testified in favor of the bill.