The other day I saw a nifty little energy efficient Smart Car leaving a parking garage on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, with a sticker on the back that read, “Mint, Cars on Demand.” I’m familiar with ZipCar, that almost decade-old car sharing service that changed the way people think about owning and renting cars, but Mint was completely new to me. I decided to investigate.  

I found out that Mint is a new car-sharing service in Manhattan in which you pay a $20 joining fee, and then you can rent a car for as little as a measly two bucks an hour! It’s the perfect antidote to traditional car rental companies that rent by the day and charge by distance.

Mint has pick-up spots scattered throughout the city so that the next time you really want to buy that cool coffee table you found on Craigslist, you don’t have to wonder how the heck you are doing to get it from the seller’s door to yours. The best part is that you don’t even have to pay for gas!  All fuel is paid for by Mint – you just use a gas card that is found in the driver side sun visor.

Mint offers a variety of cars, including lightweight trucks that are perfect for small moves in the city. They also offer environmentally friendly Smart Cars, like the one that I saw. By joining Mint instead of buying your own car to keep in the city, you not only save yourself loads of money, you also reduce our carbon footprint by keeping more cars off the road, meaning less traffic, less pollution and a reduced dependency on fossil fuels. To learn how Mint works, check out www.drivemint.com.