Tel Aviv to Go Into the Car Rental Business

YERUSHALAYIM
Heavy traffic on the highway entering Tel Aviv, July 06 2010. Photo by Nati Shohat/Flash90. *** Local Caption *** תנועה פקק מכוניות רכבים כלי רכב פקוק כביש מהיר תל אביב
Heavy traffic on the highway entering Tel Aviv. (Nati Shohat/Flash90)

Three years after instituting a successful program for bike rentals, the Tel Aviv Municipality intends to institute a similar “drive and go” system for cars, the city said. Under the program, municipal garages would be set up around the city, and users would be able to “rent” cars to get around, dropping them off when they get to their destination. The cost: NIS 60 ($16) per hour.

While Tel Aviv would seem to have more than enough cars on its roads already, the plan is actually aimed at reducing the number of vehicles coming into Tel Aviv daily, said deputy mayor Meital Lehavi, who is responsible for transportation matters in the city. “The program will enable individuals and families to get around town without having to search for parking, and allow people from outside the city to commute into Tel Aviv by train and still have the convenience of a vehicle to get to their meetings,” she said.

A test program is planned for the coming months. The city has set aside NIS 21 million ($5.5 million) for the purchase of 90 vehicles, the development of a computerized infrastructure to keep track of the vehicles, and the development of parking areas.

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