ORLANDO, Fla. — A dozen downtown parking spaces are now designated for rental cars.
The Hertz 24-7 car share program will roll out this Thursday and the spots will be filled with vehicles that can be rented by the hour.
"We see this as a great opportunity to get cars off the road but ultimately save people money," Courtney Miller of reThink, the region's commuter assistance program, said.
The program is managed by the Florida Department of Transportation and is marketed as a complement to public transit.
Some simply see it as a loss of parking space.
"It's rare that you see spaces, this time of the day it's open once in a while, but come 5 o'clock and later, they cram each other and I don't know how people fit into the spaces. It's always full," resident Christine Santoro said.
Eyewitness News spotted a delivery driver using a Thornton Park spot and a construction crew taking up two at Florida Hospital.
Those Eyewitness News spoke with who live downtown said the program is not practical.
"Who is going to get off the bus and then come rent a car? That's what the bus is for, to pick you up and bring you where you're going, right?" resident Judy Rettig said. "Where you gonna go after you get your car, drive around, and come back to the bus?"
FDOT said it is optimistic about the program and parking space.
"Each one of these car share vehicles can replace up to 14 personally own vehicles so right now it may seem like a car parking space is going away but in the long run that may actually help that supply," Miller said.
WFTV
