These are , as you will shortly see if you do not happen to be already aware of it, exciting times in the world of car sharing. But it was not always so.

The idea of people getting together to figure out how to share a car, whether for environmental or economic reasons, is one that has been around for perhaps a bit longer than you may realize. Already in the 1970s for example the first car share projects were getting underway. To cite one of the first, it would certainly be a pity were we to altogether forget the pioneering ProcoTip project in Montpelier which tried hard and indeed did manage to achieve some very interesting things. Better known was the Dutch Witkar demonstration of a decade later which was a very ambitious try and which also achieved a number of real successes -- against considerable odds I might add.

As we reach the point where we are now ready to move ahead and lay the groundwork for real progress, in what for many years could have legitimately been characterized as the Cinderella of all paratransit or "between transport" modes, it is important that in our enthusiasm for the present we do not fail to honor the past. This strikes me as particularly significant since these early, may I say even heroic efforts at socio-technical innovation were by and large treated more with disdain than with interest and admiration, whether by the press or the mainline transportation establishment. Moreover, by looking a, we can glean valuable tips as to what we should be doing next.

Quite possibly the most notable characteristic of the progress that has been registered in the movement over these last years has been the very concept of sharing itself… not only the sharing of vehicles in some defined place but also of information and various forms of help and interaction between projects, cities and countries. If I step back for a moment from the heat of the action, in fact, this has been without a doubt the most striking achievement of all. To my mind it prefigures something which is far more important than the technical details of any particular project.

This casebook has been prepared in much the same sharing spirit. For example, virtually all of the materials that appear here have been made available to us either directly or through that great sharing mechanism which is the Net. So in truth we are no more than one minor relay in this much broader process of knowledge building and sharing. A 21st century scribe of sorts. Or, as Dr. Johnson put it so long ago of another kind of compiler: "a harmless drudge".

Which brings us to where you come in! Since this casebook is being posted on the Web for any and all to consult and use freely and as they see fit, this gives you an opportunity to add your knowledge and energies to this sharing process. You may have yet other materials to suggest, editorial changes to improve the flow and usefulness of these materials, useful links to other sources, and perhaps yet other things. If so, please make sure that you get in touch so that we can all take advantage of what you have to offer.

The ultimate lesson of car sharing is that we can, if we wish, turn this and yet others of the challenges of modern society into increasing sum games. Human nature being what it is, this is in fact probably our only real option if we are ever to move toward more sustainable, call them more human and responsible arrangements in our daily lives. And of course we must not forget in all this that progress in matters of transport is only a starting place. Sustainability stretches far beyond just physical movement. Our future is going to be what we decide to make of it, and sharing is going to be right at the center of things if we ever are to become sustainable. So, don't you think that this might be a fine place to start?

Eric Britton, Paris, September 21, 1998

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