Need a car? Live in Bernalwood? Maybe you should take my neighbor’s Scion xD, which is currently parked on Virginia Avenue near Winfield. It’ll run you just eight bucks an hour, which includes gas, insurance, and 20 miles/hour.

Such transactions used to be illegal, but no more, thanks to a recent state law. As a result, companies like RelayRides, which facilitate peer-to-peer car sharing, are sprouting up like daisies (or, rather, goldfields) this year. Similar outfits include Spride Share and Getaround (which even has a Tesla Roadster available).

It’s a great way to use four wheels when you need them, without actually owning a car—a win for both you and the environment! Or, if you have a vehicle but you bike to work from Bernal, leaving your ride parked for hours at a time, it’s potentially a great way to offset some of the costs of ownership.

I say “potentially” because peer-to-peer car sharing is still a relatively new phenemenon, and things could get hairy when it comes to owners’ liability for losses that occur when others use their car.

For more on that, as well as more details on how peer-to-peer car sharing works, read my post on Wallet Mouth.

PHOTO: Bronwyn Ximm