Car and truck sharing in Kimberley: The details

Wildsight Kimberley/Cranbrook is bringing car and truck sharing to Kimberley. We have opened a branch of the Nelson Carshare Co-op, an organization with a well established car and truck share program with 13 vehicles in Nelson, Revelstoke, Fernie, Golden, and Kaslo.

The vehicles: We have a 2004 4x4 F150 with an extended cab and an 8ft box and a 1998 Honda Civic 2dr hatchback.

Costs: All costs related to the vehicle are covered by the co-op, including fuel, insurance, maintenance, repairs, and cleaning. You don’t pay anything other than a monthly administration fee, a per hour usage charge, and a per km usage charge – even gas is paid for by the co-op!

You can see an example of the cost for truck and car use and use our online calculator to calculate the cost for your trips here. HST is charged on all amounts.

Membership share: In order to use the co-op vehicles, you must have a membership share. This share costs $500, but it is fully refundable if you decide to leave the co-op. For a second member of your household to be able to use the vehicles, they need an associate membership share, which costs $250. You’ll receive one bill for both members with fees charged based on your combined usage.

Your membership share is backed by the assets of the co-op (the 13 vehicles that the Nelson Carshare Co-op has on the road and their significant reserve funds). These assets are currently worth twice as much as the outstanding shares in the co-op, so your share is safe.

We also offer a payment plan for your membership share purchase, which lets you start driving with a $200 deposit, with the balance paid over the next three months.

There is a non-refundable $25 orientation and set-up fee for new members to cover the cost of the orientation and account set-up.

Insurance: Full insurance coverage is included. In case of an accident where you are at fault, you are only responsible for a deductible of $500-$1000.

Trailers: If there is sufficient interest, we will also purchase a trailer that members will be able to use with the truck. Unfortunately, for insurance reasons, you cannot use your own trailer with the truck.

Location: Our truck is parked at Centennial Hall, so you can easily walk or bike to pick it up.

Reservations: You can reserve online for trips as short as a ½ hour.

Requirements to join: Three years of driving history and a good credit rating. You can’t have any at-fault accidents and can’t have more than three traffic tickets in the past three years. Don't have three years of driving history? Ask about special arrangements for new drivers.

Using a vehicle in other cities: You can use a car or truck in any of the other Nelson Carshare branches (including Nelson, Golden, Fernie, Revelstoke, and Kaslo). You can also use a car in Vancouver, Victoria, and Nanaimo, and Comox through reciprocal agreements with other co-ops.

Ready to get started? Just contact us to start your membership application. If you are interested in sharing a car, let us know, as we still need a few more members to justify a shared car in Kimberley.

For more information or to sign up call Lars at 427-5554 or email sralsg@gmail.com. Application forms are available by email.