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I've sung the praises of Philly Car Share for years now, but last night was my first experience as a user.  If you're not familiar, PCS is a non-profit that allows you to rent cars by the hour.  Rates are usually cheaper than if you were to use a traditional rental car, and, at least where I live, cars are readily available.  It's a great way for urban folk to forgo buying one more car that they'll only use one hour a day, three or four times a week; and an increasing number of organizations, including the City of Philadelphia, are enjoying the benefits of using PCS rather than maintaining large fleets. 

My first customer experience was a pleasurable one, too.  The nearest available car was a block from my house.  The reservation took two minutes to make, and when I was running late on the tail end of my time window, it took one call to get my return time bumped back 45 minutes.  Plus, I got to drive a Honda hybrid, which was pretty fun. 

I don't think the numbers work for us to give up our car and go completely carless.  But hopefully having access to PCS will keep us at one car for quite some time.