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If approved by the board, San Francisco would
join a handful of U.S. cities reducing their fleets of cars in
favor of sharing services, including New York, Chicago and
Indianapolis.
“Anytime we can reduce our carbon footprint and potentially
realize savings as a city, we should pursue those ideas
aggressively,” said Supervisor Mark Farrell, who introduced the
ordinance along with Supervisor John Avalos.
The ordinance, which could go into effect as soon as December,
would require a 25 percent reduction in the city's roughly
1,500-vehicle fleet every three years, leading to the
elimination of non-essential vehicles within 12 years. Fire
trucks and police cars, among others deemed essential, would be
exempted from the plan.
The legislation requires city-owned and leased cars to be
equipped with new data-tracking systems to monitor usage.
Farrell said that would allow the city to determine which
vehicles are underutilized and could be sold first. Public
employees would also reserve cars through a new electronic
system.
To implement the new law, the city would enter into a contract
with an existing car-share company, such as Zipcar or City Car
Share, Farrell's aide Jess Montejano said. The provider would be
required to give the city priority over other members in
emergencies, such as earthquakes.
Chicago’s program, which is contracted to Zipcar, is a model for
the San Francisco plan. Farrell's office said in a news release
that Zipcar vehicles save Chicago 25 cents per mile compared
with the city-managed cars.
Zipcar and City Car Share did not immediately respond to
requests for comment.
The car rental company Avis bought Zipcar in 2013 for about $500
million. The non-profit City Car Share is based in downtown San
Francisco and operates in the Bay Area.
San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors will vote on the ordinance
in October at the earliest. If it passes, the plan could take
effect as soon as December or January, Farrell said.
(Editing by Sharon Bernstein and Mohammad Zargham)
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