Need to get across town but don’t want to deal with the hassle of a taxi? A new program in Austin from automaker Daimler is hoping to put you in the driver’s seat.

The Car2Go program, implemented in the greater-Austin area, is a pay-as-you-go city transport system that focuses on having a more efficient and environmentally aware society.

 The concept of Car2Go is simple: when you need a vehicle, you can just jump into one of the 200 smart cars provided by the program. The company promises that the vehicle will always be clean and ready for use.

  “I think it is very convenient, especially with the limited and poor bus system that we have here in Austin,” senior Jarymar Arana said. “If you have to make a short trip, it helps to have the option, instead of waiting for a bus or hiking across the city.”

 The program’s car-sharing concept offers to reduce carbon emissions and traffic congestion, as well as save time. Not only is the idea more environmentally conscious, but the vehicles provided by Daimler are also environmentally friendly.

Car2Go requires a one-time registration fee of $35, followed by a pay-as-you-go minute fee of 35 cents. The rate later changes to a rate of $12.99 per hour and $65.99 per day. In addition to providing mobility, the pay-as-you-go fee is all-inclusive, covering all fuel costs and insurance.

There are five simple steps to accessing a vehicle: Booking, getting into the vehicle, entering your PIN code, driving to your destination and parking your car.

  Members can either reserve a vehicle at a specific time or claim a car at any immediate moment. After approaching a vehicle and holding the member card up to the card reader on the windshield, then entering your PIN number, you simply drive to your destination at a pay-as-you-go rate and park the car.

  “This is a green alternative that makes individuals more environmentally cautious,” junior Ali A. Khorasani said. “I am definitely interested in the idea, because I don’t have a car and it is difficult to get around—I usually have to take the bus, which is slow and unreliable.”

The city of Austin has made an agreement with Car2Go that gives free street parking to all Car2Go members, in return for free driving minutes for city employee business trips.

When Car2Go first came to Austin in the fall of 2009, the program was used exclusively by city employees before expanding to the general public.

Car2Go has established a list of rules and regulations with which registered individuals must comply. However, the rules overlap with standard city laws. For example: no drinking and driving, no transportation of children without car seats, and no sharing of the vehicle to an uninsured party. Pets and smoking are also prohibited in the vehicles.

Within the last four months, Car2Go has 10,000 registered car-sharing members and 80,000 rentals. Car2go officials have said that they plan to expand in Austin and other major cities in the United States in the future.