For many people, getting rid of their car is a necessity to help reduce their monthly expenses and also to reduce their carbon footprint. This has become a very popular method for both of these reasons as car shares will generally cover insurance, maintenance, the cost of the vehicle and even fuel in some cases. However, there are some aspects to using a car share that aren’t as easy as keeping your own vehicle.

The most common issue that arises is a refused membership due to a driving record. Car share companies have to ensure that you are a safe driver in order to carry the insurance on their vehicles which you must have in order to drive. If you have too many tickets, accidents or other violations, the car share company/co-op will simply decline your membership application to preserve their services for others. However, in Chicago, a declined membership doesn’t mean that your options are completely spent.

A common option that is being used is to find a car share in which you will not be the driver at all. This is done through various internet networking sites and is generally called a ride share. These ride shares allow you to have the benefits of a car share, without having to pass the background check in order to drive. Most often you will simply have an agreement with a private party where you will pay a certain amount of fuel and/or maintenance in return for scheduled rides.