The story of Vojtěch Lukáš from Ostrava proves that carsharing can be a suitable service for private, leisure and work use. He is currently studying in Brno, occasionally needs or wants to go somewhere, and occasionally uses a shared car for the bands he plays with. After curiously trying out several carsharing services in the Czech Republic and considering everything carefully, he has been using Autonapůl since 2021.
Through curiosity, he discovered a useful service
Curiosity was at the very beginning. How such a service works, how he could use it effectively, what it would bring to Vojtěch and for how much. And right away he signed up with several companies. And since he is based in Ostrava, he looked for a carsharing company whose fleet was available in his hometown.
He was also looking for a solution that would allow him to use the car but not be burdened by high entry costs. In his position as a student working in culture, he did not want to make the commitment of owning his own car. According to him, a reasonable car from a second-hand shop would cost at least CZK 100,000, which is not a marginal amount.
And even though he tries to drive very sparingly, he doesn't get his groceries from IKEA or shopping malls outside the city by bike or public transport. He has also moved around Brno several times, and he has used his car for that.
"I find it great to have a car at my disposal, even in my student status, whenever I need it, I can get away from my parents and their car in that sense and have a personal car of the size I need. In addition to Brno, where I study, and Ostrava, where I come from, there are also shared cars in other cities where I can use them, for example, on a trip," Vojtěch Lukáš highlights the positives he perceives in the first Czech carsharing.
So he expected the independence that comes with owning your own car. And that's what he found with carsharing.
When he compared leasing and Autonapůl, carsharing won
Vojtěch's studies will end soon and he is considering how he will address his transport needs in the future. He wants to continue to be a man of his word. This is another reason why he avoids second-hand cars, which are more likely to break down than new ones.
In the case of leasing, he is discouraged by the amount of the down payment. "I was thinking quite a bit about operating leases. But when I calculated the cost of the smallest class of car, it came out to about 10,000 a month. Next to that, I build a calculation of how many kilometres and time I would have to drive with carsharing to get the invoice to 10 thousand. With the op, I'd pay 10k just to have the car parked in front of my house, so there's service involved too, but fuel costs would further increase that amount. When I compare the calculations in my situation, carsharing is more profitable," Vojtěch says.
Now, when he tried to find out in real traffic how much he was able to drive, and in addition to his normal journeys he "unnecessarily" drove to Ostrava by car instead of by train, he still didn't get to the amount of 10,000 per month with a shared car.
Find out how carsharing can serve as an effective transport backup for your band
- The band needs a car once a month, otherwise it would be parked somewhere unnecessarily, and that doesn't pay off - when they need to go somewhere, Vojtěch and the band try to use carsharing. He also travels with several bands, for example with Tři Vykřičníky, which plays in Ostrava and its surroundings, or with Petra Göblová, who also tries to be sustainable.
- Apart from Vojtěch, the band is accompanied by five to six other people - five musicians and one or two people for technical support. So they can't fit in one station van anymore. Therefore, they usually solve the transport by having someone from the band take their own car and the other member of the band borrows a car from their parents or they use Autonapůl. "It's a bit complicated by the contracts with the promoters, because they have set the prices for transport quite low and the cost of a shared car is usually not covered by the contractual rates. So it happens that I cover the costs from my own money, but since I agree with the carsharing service, I don't mind," Vojtěch explains.
- And the great thing for all the band members is that they don't have to stress if someone will lend them an extra car or if their parents' car will break down - the Autonapůl fleet is always available for them.
- "Plus, I like the way they nod their heads in approval when I book the car. I just open the app, double tap, and we're ready to go," smiles Vojtěch. So we don't have to deal with the hassle and by administration of traditional car rental companies.
Of the carsharing services in the Czech Republic, Autonapůl considers the best
At the time of discovering the car-sharing service, Vojtěch tried several of them. He found that some services work best inside large cities, where they replace taxis and sometimes, paradoxically, public transport. This is a natural feature of so-called free-float carsharing. He used them when he moved frequently, but with stable housing he doesn't use this service.
On the other hand, he uses the car for longer trips, be it road trips or trips to concerts with bands. He also needs a different size car for each trip, and this need is fulfilled by the Autonapul fleet, which offers 6 price categories from small city cars to family combis to vans and electric cars, including the iconic Tesla 3, exactly as Vojtěch expected. The more he uses the car, the more accurately his car-sharing requirements take shape.
"For getting around town, I can choose from several services that will solve my need for a car. Autonapůl's strength is mainly in out of town or longer distance trips. And that's also the way I think a car should be used. You can get around town in public transport or a taxi, moving around town by car is usually not necessary. Other services can only cover some transport needs, but the Autonapůl service, the way it is set up, suited me, whatever my requirements for a car and a journey," Vojtěch says.
After years of using car-sharing, he cancelled registrations with other operators and stayed with Autonapůl - he found that it solved everything he needed over the years in terms of transport. Most importantly, when he books a car in advance in a particular zone, he doesn't want to deal with another user taking his car across town at the last minute.
They see a lot of room and application for carsharing in the future
"In Ostrava I live in Dubina, a huge housing estate in the south of the city. And when I look at how many cars are parked there during normal working hours, I see about half of the parking spaces occupied. The cars are just standing there, not driving, taking up public space. And I wonder if it's even practical for their owners to own a car. I think that if they knew better the possibilities of car sharing, at least some of them would sell their cars," Vojtěch reflects.
At the same time, it's a direction he'd like a little help with himself. Popularise carsharing and its benefits. He would therefore appreciate a change in public opinion and the Czechs' attitude towards cars, which would certainly be helped by an increase in the supply of cars in Ostrava and other large cities. He sees the following as some of the ways to get carsharing more among people:
- discounted non-transferable monthly tickets in cooperation with the transport company,
- discount on carsharing for long-term ticket holders,
- parking spaces specifically for car sharing around the city or at least in housing estates and transport hubs, or
- support for carsharing from the highest levels of the city and state.
"I feel more at ease on the road now. Try it too"
As one somewhat unexpected effect of carsharing, Vojtěch mentions that he now feels more at ease when travelling. "I know that in almost every major city I go to, I will have a car at my disposal. I also know that if the train or bus is delayed, I won't have to wait somewhere in the middle of the night. I just find the nearest available car, get in and drive home," Vojtěch says.
He also mentions that he doesn't really understand why people have such a need to own a car, especially those who have one staying outside their house most of the time. "They obviously don't need a car for everyday driving, compulsory insurance, changing, servicing, all of which they have to pay for. I don't understand why they need a 15-year-old money guzzler under their windows when they can have a modern car within a few clicks that they only pay for when they actually use it. Before I got into carsharing, I guess I honored that 90's idea too. I looked forward to owning a car. But today, after all these years with carsharing, it doesn't make sense to me anymore. And I may very well never own a car. Why not," Vojtěch reflects.
Plus, he likes the idea that if he doesn't need the car, someone else can use it, and vice versa.
But he doesn't care:
- Change the tires?
- Compulsory insurance?
- Service?
- Highway vignette?
He doesn't care. It's none of his business. That's what Autonapůl is for. A service whose customer help line is ready to help at 2:00 in the morning.
"Thanks to carsharing, I also began to appreciate places that are not flooded with cars, but instead serve people and nature. I'm not afraid to say that this is where my view of the world has changed. There is nothing easier than to try carsharing, calculate and compare," Vojtěch concludes.
Creating space for people. Together.