Car Sharing Services in Spain
Driving In Spain – Car Sharing
There are places and hours when the bus, subway, and rail won't get you where you want to go. For that, Ride Sharing and Car Hire save the day. A new version of the latter (car rental) is now available in the larger towns. The prices vary. The service I belong to charges nothing to subscribe, 3 euros per hour and 24 centimos per kilometer. That expense includes auto insurance, gas, and (usually) a GPS device. The car can be used for an hour, a day, or several days, but it must be returned to its parking lot home. A plastic card obtained when membership is approved opens and closes the car. It will be mailed to you.
Membership in a car sharing service requires a credit card from a local bank. That is how the hourly and mileage charges are handled.
Membership also requires proof of permission to drive. That amounts to emailing a copy of your driver's license and your driving record (obtained online from your country's motor vehicle department).
Once you are part of the program, you just make a reservation using their app, wave your membership card over the windshield/windscreen, hop in, and drive.
A few words of warning though. 1) Traffic signs may not be what you are used to. Check out the many videos on Youtube. 2) You may not be used to some things, like roundabouts, driving on the right side of the road, gear shifting, etc. I signed up with a local driving school (autoescuela) and did 5 driving sessions. Each 45-minute session cost 30 euros and it was worth it. But that doesn't mean that the foreigner driving in the lane next to you did the same. Probably not. Drive for two. 3) Parking can be hard to find and expensive. And, 4) there are some terms that you may not find readily.
This article can't cover everything so ask a Spanish driver to clear any doubts you may have.
Happy (and safe) motoring!
