Tokai Kyujin Service Co. announced that it would start a business called Linkul Car Sharing in Nagoya on October 1, 2004. "Linkul" is a combination of words meant to signify the connections between cars, people and the environment as well as the link between the present and the future.

Car sharing is a system in which a large group of people shares the use of a smaller number of cars. As they can help mitigate transportation-related problems such as traffic congestion, exhaust emissions and the lack of parking space, and help improve the urban environment, such systems are growing overseas, especially in cities in Europe and the United States.

For this project, CEV Sharing Corporation, Japan's first car-sharing company, provides a service using Intelligent Transport System (ITS) technology, which enables unmanned pickup and return at car stations.

Because of an IC card reader installed in each car, key boxes are unnecessary at car stations, which enables flexible expansion of the number of car stations. To begin with, a total of 10 cars will be provided at four stations in Nagoya.

Tokai Kyujin Service plans to establish 20 to 30 car stations in and around Nagoya over the next three years. It also aims to create a network of car-sharing companies to promote the system throughout Japan.



Posted: 2004/11/05 02:24:05 PM
Japanese version

TAG Eco-product/Business , Global warming , Non-manufacturing industry , Transportation