Car Sharing Rides $4 Gas to Increased Popularity

With gas prices hovering around $4 a gallon, car sharing as an alternative to car ownership is finally gaining traction, reports Newsweek. Started 8 years ago, the best-known car-sharing company, Zipcar, rents communal vehicles by the hour or day. Both cost-efficient and eco-friendly, the company charges members about $10 an hour, including gas and insurance.

"I like the idea of being green," says one new customer. "But I can guarantee you I'm doing this because it puts more green in my pocket." Zipcar has taken off from a handful of college campuses to over 50 cities, with 225,000 members and 10,000 new members a month, triple the rate of monthly sign-ups a year ago. (More Zipcar stories.)