The CarLink program is a collaborative effort of private industry and government agencies. Partners. Here are descriptions of the partners, their roles and contact information: Institute of Transportation Studies at the University of California, Davis. ITS-Davis is an internationally recognized leader in advanced technologies, energy and environmental aspects of transportation, and travel behavior. Susan Shaheen, a doctoral candidate in ecology at UC Davis, is the CarLink lead researcher and project manager. She holds a master's degree in public policy analysis and studies the technology management and energy and environmental aspects of transportation. Contact: Susan Shaheen, ITS-Davis, (530) 752-1934, sashaheen@ucdavis.edu. Honda Motor Company. In addition to helping underwrite the CarLink program, Honda is providing 12 Civic GX sedans powered by compressed natural gas. Honda will pay for all vehicle operating costs, including maintenance and insurance coverage. Honda has been researching the shared-use concept since 1994 as a means to help relieve parking shortages and traffic congestion while retaining the convenience of personal transportation. Participation in the CarLink program allows Honda direct customer feedback on viability of the shared-use concept as well as alternative-fuel vehicle acceptance. Contact: Dan Zukowski, Rogers & Associates public relations, (310) 781-4443. Bay Area Rapid Transit. BART brings the CarLink project first-hand experience with an early form of car sharing -- the station car. From 1995 to 1998, BART provided 40 electric vehicles at the Ashby, Colma and Walnut Creek stations for use by BART riders. Instead of having multiple users for each car, as in the CarLink project, the station cars were primarily used by a single driver or household. BART helped forge the CarLink partnership with Honda and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and is providing facilities and services at the Dublin/Pleasanton station for parking and the smart key box. Car sharing enables BART to serve three customers per day with one parking space. Contact: Victoria Nerenberg, manager of technology and business alliances planning, research and development, (510) 287-4775. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has a large work force, many of whom commute from around the Bay Area by private car. The laboratory will supply the fuel for the CarLink fleet, a maintenance area and space for parking and key boxes. Contact: Sal Ruiz, fleet management director, (925) 422-7474. Teletrac Inc. Based in Kansas City, Mo., Teletrac is a leading provider of vehicle location and fleet-management services. Teletrac has donated a computer and software needed to manage the CarLink reservation system and will provide more than 20 on-board vehicle-tracking units at a discount for the demonstration project. The tracking units will provide essential data about the use of CarLink vehicles and other household vehicles. Contact: Stanley Polk, customer support, (510) 749-1356, ext. 201, or Sheri Mascorro, sales manager, (510) 749-1356, ext. 102. INVERS. Based in Siegen, Germany, INVERS is the producer of COCOS (CarSharing Organization and Communication System), the computerized access system being used in the CarLink vehicles. CarLink has purchased COCOS key cards, key boxes and ignition-blocking keys. COCOS technology is widely used in European car-sharing organizations; CarLink is the first user in North America. Contact: Uwe Latsch, 49-271-238-0538, info@invers.com. Funding agencies. The two-year CarLink project, including the one-year field test, will cost about $1 million. That cost is borne by the partners as described above and by these research contributors: Partners for Advanced Transit and Highways (PATH), a joint venture of the California Department of Transportation, the University of California, other public and private academic institutions, and private industry. PATH's mission is to apply advanced technology to increase highway capacity and safety and to reduce traffic congestion, air pollution, and energy consumption. California Department of Transportation, which is responsible for the design, construction, maintenance and operation of the California State Highway System, as well as that portion of the Interstate Highway System within the state's boundaries. Alone and in partnership with Amtrak, Caltrans is also involved in the support of intercity passenger rail service in California, and is a leader in promoting the use of alternative modes of transportation. The University of California Transportation Center, which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation and the California Department of Transportation and provides financial support to basic and applied research conducted by University of California faculty and graduate student assistants. The National Science Foundation, a U.S. government agency responsible for promoting science and engineering through programs that invest over $3.3 billion per year in almost 20,000 research and education projects. Anonymous gifts, from private industry.