Tools for making the most of your membership

Reservations can be scheduled from the CarShare Vermont smartphone app or through the reservation portal accessed by visiting carsharevt.org and clicking Sign In.

In the smartphone app, click the car icon to view available vehicles. Select your desired vehicle and start & end time, and then click Reserve. Click the calendar icon to view your scheduled reservations.

On a computer, navigate to the Reservation tab at the top of the screen if you are not already there. You will be presented with a timeline displaying availability for each vehicle. Drag across the timeline of a specific vehicle to schedule a reservation for that span of time. Afterwards, refine your start and end times as needed in the dialogue box that pops up, then click Save to confirm your reservation. Click Overview at the top of the page to view your upcoming reservations.

Yes! Go to the Apple App Store or Google Play and search for CarShare Vermont for iOS or Android. The app lets you make, change, and cancel reservations. Use it to unlock the doors when you begin a reservation and to lock the doors and end a reservation. For those who prefer something more tangible, access cards are available by request.

About half of all reservations are made the same day. You can also book up to 12 months in advance if needed. Plus, our more popular cars are within easy walking distance of other pods. That said, availability varies at each location and we always recommend reserving a car as soon as you know you’ll need one. You can always change or cancel a reservation if you need to.

You can reserve a vehicle for as little as 30 minutes or up to 10 days.

You can take the vehicles to any state. You can even visit Canada—just don’t forget your passport!

No. Carrying persons or property for hire (i.e., taxi, Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, or any other delivery services) is not a permitted use of our vehicles.

Yes! (With some caveats.) Members can opt to make their reservations available for ridesharing with other members, and any arrangements can then be conducted by private email. However, our insurance will not cover members who use our vehicles for any commercial or paid ride-hailing purposes. Additionally, we do not screen our members beyond a motor vehicle record check.

We have fully electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles available in our fleet. Please refer to in-car signage for specific driving and charging instructions (they vary for each vehicle). Want to take an EV on a longer trip? Each vehicle comes with a Chargepoint and EVgo charge card in the glove box and you can plan ahead by locating public charging stations en route and near your destination or download the PlugShare App. Be advised that EV range will vary with the ambient temperature and the cabin heating and cooling settings.

Questions? Give us a shout at (802) 861-2340 or email info@carsharevt.org and we’d be happy to walk you through the basics. You can also click here to download a PDF of our EV Driving Tips.

Yes. There is no charge to extend your reservation, except for the additional time you use the car. As long as there are no conflicting reservations for the car you’re using, you can add as much time as you need. Use the mobile app or login to your account from a computer.

Yes, you can cancel a reservation before the scheduled start time, or shorten it by changing the end time if the scheduled start time has already elapsed. Cancel or shorten using the mobile app or by logging into our reservation site.

A cancellation fee may be applied if a reservation is cancelled or shortened on short notice. Reservations should be cancelled within 30 minutes of being scheduled, or more than 4 hours before the reserved time that is being cancelled or shortened, in order to avoid a cancellation fee. The fee is equal to the cost of the reserved time that was not cancelled with adequate notice.

If you forget to cancel your reservation and don’t use the car, you’ll be charged for the hours reserved.

If you forget your password, go to our login page and click on the “reset password” link. You can also call the office (802-861-2340) for assistance.

Some of our cars need to be moved to “winter pods” during parking bans in the City of Burlington (currently Cleo, Dot, Cat, Sparky, Toni, Rufus, Ruth, and Edna). When the yellow lights are flashing, please be sure to park the car in its alternate winter pod. If you’re unsure where to park, give the office a call at (802) 861-2340, or call our emergency line after hours.

Yes. In bad weather, when driving is dangerous, you may make last-minute cancellations without paying for canceled time. Bad weather means severe winter storms eliciting weather advisories and/or warnings. If you decide to cancel a reservation at the last minute, please call or email within 24 hours of the canceled reservation so we can be sure you’re not charged.

That’s what we call the locations where you’ll find our cars. Usually, one or two cars live at a pod, which can take the form of parking spaces on the street, in a lot, or in a garage. All of our pods are well marked with signage. Check out a map of our pod locations to find the one closest to you.

Please call the emergency phone number right away. We’ll do our best to get you another car, or pay for a taxi, Uber, or Lyft ride to get you to your destination. We’ll also give you a credit toward your next trip.

Please call the emergency line. We’ll ask you to park the car in a legal parking space close by. All you have to do is let us know where you parked and lock with the app or your access card.

Please don’t. All of our parking spaces are enforced so you may get towed if you leave your vehicle in one of our spaces. If you need to drive your personal vehicle to one of the pods, please find legal, alternative parking nearby.

Hold the access card up to the reader installed on the windshield of the driver’s side of every car. After a few seconds, the light on the reader will go from red to green, and the car will unlock. The access card enables the car’s ignition, so the key will work (the ignition key is in a key holder in the glove box). If you park the car during a reservation, use the key—not your access card—to lock and unlock it. When you are back at the pod, having removed all of your belongings from the vehicle, hold the access card to the reader in the corner of the windshield to end the reservation. Pull the door handle to ensure that the car is secure and ready for the next member.

If you have a smartphone and download our app (find CarShare Vermont in the App Store or Google Play), you can lock and unlock the vehicle using it. Just login to your account, click on your reservation, and you’ll see a green “Start Reservation” button appear. Press and hold the button to start your reservation. At the end of your trip, press and hold the red “End Reservation” button to end your trip. If you arrive at a car to begin a reservation but do not have the app or an access card, call the emergency line and we’ll do our best to help.

When you make a reservation, you have exclusive access to the car during that time. You also pay for all of that time, even if you’re late getting to the car. There’s no need to let us know if you’re running a little late at the beginning of your reservation, but please do shorten or cancel your reservation if you’re going to be over 30 minutes late or no longer need your reservation. Doing so will free the car up for other members to use.

Please always try to extend your reservation if you think you’ll need more time with the car. You can use the mobile app or login to the reservation system. If you can’t extend your reservation because another member has reserved the car, please return it at the scheduled time. If you absolutely can’t return the car on time, please call us as soon as possible on the emergency line so we can try to accommodate the other member. There are fees associated with late returns. Please refer to the Member Handbook for the full fee schedule.

Please return all gas and hybrid vehicles to their pods with at least a quarter tank of regular, unleaded fuel. Fill up the tank using the gas card found in the zippered pouch in the glove box. You may use the card at any self-serve pump at any station. You’ll be prompted to enter the Driver ID printed on the card and the odometer reading. (Don’t stress about the odometer reading; we don’t use this information.) Once the card is authorized, pump away! If you need guidance on locating and accessing the gas cap, consult the vehicle’s manual in the glove box.

You are responsible for all tolls. Where possible, pay as you go through the tollbooth. Our cars are not outfitted with E-ZPass transponders; however, many toll roads have tolls-by-mail or pay-by-plate systems in place. When a toll invoice comes to our office, charge the appropriate member and pay it.

Please pay it as soon as possible. If we’re notified that the ticket has not been paid, we’ll charge your account for the full amount (including any late penalties), along with a $15 processing fee for tracking you down.

Most importantly, please make sure you are safe and call the police. Collect the full name, contact information, and insurance details from the other driver, just like you would if you were in your own car. In turn, share our insurance details with the other driver (insurance card is in the zipper pouch in the glovebox). If possible, take pictures of damage to any vehicles and property involved. Afterwards, call our emergency line (802-999-2006) to report the incident before proceeding with your trip.

An emergency includes, but is not limited to, any of the following circumstances:

• You show up for your reservation and the car isn’t there.
• You’re late and you can’t extend your reservation.
• The vehicle’s assigned parking space has been taken.
• You have trouble starting the vehicle.
• The car breaks down.
• You’re in an accident.
• You’re locked out of the car.
• You’ve lost the ignition key.
• You’re unable to lock the car with the app or your access card.
• An electric vehicle won’t charge.

You can re-access a vehicle using the mobile app right after you’ve ended a trip as long as another member doesn’t have the car. Otherwise, please make a short reservation to retrieve your item. That way, you know the car will be there when you arrive and you’ll be able to access the car. Items found in the car by staff are brought to our lost and found.

You pay for the time you reserve, since the vehicle is not available for another member to use.

In the CarShare Vermont smartphone app, click the Profile icon in the lower-right corner, and then Billing > Edit Payment Method.

If working in the desktop version of the reservation system, click the Profile icon in the upper-right corner and click Profile. Then, click Edit and scroll down to find the green Edit Payment Method link near the bottom of the page.

24 hours in advance of a scheduled reservation, your card on file will be pre-authorized for the time cost of the reservation (this is a “hold”). This is done to check that the payment method is valid and that funds are available to pay for the trip. Payment will not be collected until after the trip is completed and the final cost of the reservation is calculated. When a charge for the final amount is attempted (approximately 1 hour after your trip is over), that transaction will replace the pre-authorization, which typically appears as a pending charge in bank/credit card systems.

Rather than charging a higher hourly rate that includes “free” mileage, CarShare Vermont’s variable rates allow you to only pay for how much you drive. In this way, people who primarily drive locally are not subsidizing trips for people who drive longer distances. Because you pay for every mile you drive, our rate structure promotes more efficient driving which is better for the environment.

Currently, the hourly rates are the same for all of the standard vehicles in our fleet, however, we do charge 5¢ more per mile for our all-wheel-drive vehicles and 10¢ more per mile for our pickup trucks (Curtis & Pippi). This is because they cost more to operate and maintain. As we add other specialty vehicles, we may continue offering varying rates.

We do! Each car is equipped with its own fuel card that works at most gas stations like a debit or credit card. Pumping and reservation time at the pump are the responsibility of members. Members share the cars and the responsibility for keeping them fueled up for one another.

You are responsible for all tolls. When a toll invoice comes to our office, we will charge the appropriate member and pay it. The invoice that you receive from us will reference your reservation number.

Sharing is implicit to carsharing, and that means we’re all depending on each other to take good care of the cars, be on time, and be respectful of each other. We have worked hard to make our service as flexible as possible to accommodate sporadic schedule changes and glitches, but we also impose fees to help enforce timely returns and good manners, and to cover lost revenue. Please refer to your Member Handbook for the complete fee schedule.

Please fill out this cancellation form to end your membership with us. You can also give us a call (802-861-2340) or email us (info@carsharevt.org) for assistance. We’ll ask you to return your access card, if you have one, which you can drop off at our office or mail back to us.

Before every trip, do a quick vehicle inspection. You will find a damage report sheet in the glove box of every car. If you discover damage that is not on the report sheet, please call us or send us an email at info@carsharevt.org to describe what you found (pictures are always appreciated!). If the vehicle is damaged during a trip, please call us on the emergency line right away.

Most importantly, please make sure you are safe and call the police. Collect the full name, contact information, and insurance details from the other driver, just like you would if you were in your own car. In turn, share our insurance details with the other driver (insurance card is in the zipper pouch in the glovebox). If possible, take pictures of damage to any vehicles and property involved. Afterwards, call our emergency line (802-999-2006) to report the incident before proceeding with your trip.

It’s included! But if you’re in a situation when you think that you may need to use it, please start by calling our emergency line. Barring safety hazards, you will likely be asked to stay with the vehicle.

It’s included! All of our members are covered by our premium insurance policy when they are operating a CarShare Vermont vehicle (please note that non-members are prohibited from operating CSVT vehicles and are not covered by our insurance). We’re pleased to provide comprehensive coverage with a combined single limit of $1 million per accident, as well as uninsured motorist coverage. This includes bodily injury, collision, and property damage. In the event of damage, the member is responsible for up to $1,250 per occurrence (unless you’ve signed up for our Damage Waiver Program, which reduces this to $250!). If you have any further questions about insurance, please ask!

You can opt into our Damage Waiver Program when you first apply to join CarShare Vermont or at any time by getting in touch with us via email, phone, or in person.