up to 8 non-shared cars. However, car-sharing does involves an additional processing and associated costs. Still, it reduces fleet-related costs over the long term and allow employees to save not only on costs but also on time. Peer-to-peer carsharing Peer-to-peer carsharing, sometimes referred to as P2P or Personal Vehicle Sharing, operates similarly to round-trip carsharing in trip and payment type. However, the vehicles themselves are typically privately owned or leased with the sharing system operated by a third-party. Fractional ownership Fractional ownership allows users to co-own a vehicle and share its costs and use. Neighborhood fractional ownership carsharing is often promoted as an alternative to owning a car where public transit, walking, and cycling can be used most of the time and a car is only necessary for out-of-town trips, moving large items, or special occasions. It can also be an alternative to owning multiple cars for households with more than one driver. Difference from traditional car rentals Carsharing differs from traditional car rentals in the following ways: Carsharing is not limited by office hours Reservation, pickup, and return is all self-service Vehicles can be rented by the minute, by the hour, as well as by the day Users are members and have been pre-approved to drive (background driving checks have been performed and a payment mechanism has been established). Vehicle locations are distributed throughout the service area, and often located for access by public transport. Insurance: (this section is US specific) state minimum liability insurance (only $5000 in some states), comprehensive and collision insurance. They do not provide uninsured, under-insured or personal injury protection insurance. Fuel costs are included in the rates. Vehicles are not serviced (cleaning, fueling) after each use, although certain programs (such as Car2Go or GoGet) continuously clean and fuel their fleet. With carsharing, individuals have access to private cars without having costs and responsibilities associated with car ownership (except for fractional ownerships). Some carshare operations (CSOs) cooperate with local car rental firms, in particular in situations wherein classic rental may be the cheaper option. The insurance policies on carsharing greatly varies among companies, but all carsharing firms provide insurance that at least meets the legal minimum requirements for the given region of operation. Rob Lieber of The New York Times has criticized carsharing firms such as Zipcar for the paltry coverage afforded carsharing drivers. Technology The technology of CSOs varies enormously, from simple manual systems