Your chariot awaits you, courtesy of car2go. These little Smart cars (Smart car fortwo) are surprisingly roomy, with capacious adjustable seats set well off the ground, and the car2go Web site has a complete instruction video, welcomed by today’s chauffeur, who has operated nothing but manual transmissions since forever.

Cars may be reserved, of course, but for those of us who live and work in close-in Austin, there’s always one to be found for the taking, it seems. Look near City and County offices; libraries are also a good bet.

The Web site is a bit disorganized, but the FAQs are helpful, and the actually process is even simpler than it’s described as being.

Everything worked exactly as promised, in a simple and logical way. All who have the cards required in order to access the vehicles say that they arrived with two or three days, a tiny miracle. Along with the card comes a map of the current service area and a two-sided sheet of things to do and not to do. Parking couldn’t be easier. The fun is cheap and no cost is incurred until a car is actually rented.

This service represents a delightful and practical service, and this beta pilot program is for us in Austin only. If we use it well, perhaps other towns will have an opportunity to benefit as well.