Car-sharing spreading in Tokai

NAGOYA — Car-sharing services are spreading in the Tokai region, centered on Nagoya and the nation's third-largest business area, with reduced fees and more cars available to members.

Wheel deal: Meitetsu Kyosho Ltd.'s Cariteco car-sharing service has attracted members since it slashed monthly individual user fees in June. KYODO

Meitetsu Kyosho Ltd. saw membership of its Cariteco service increase by 50 percent to 1,500 in the two months since it slashed its individual user monthly fee in June to ¥1,000 from ¥3,000.

The Nagoya-based company offered the discount after it was having difficulty expanding its car-sharing business since launching the service in Aichi and Gifu prefectures in November 2009.

Times24 Co., a major parking lot operator which also runs a car-sharing business, plans to increase the number of its cars in Nagoya to 100 by the end of October from about 80 now.

EarthCar Co., based in Tokyo, is expanding its car-sharing service to Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, and Prox Japan Co., a car rental firm in Nagoya, has expanded its car-sharing business to Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture.

By prefecture in the Tokai region, car ownership rates as of the end of March 2010 stood at 1.3 vehicles per household in Aichi, 1.6 in Gifu, and 1.4 in Shizuoka and Mie, all exceeding the national average of 1.0 vehicle per household.

Users pay monthly membership fees, plus extra charges when they actually use a vehicle, with the charge varying by length of usage.

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