A car sharing operation that was launched in Calgary earlier this year is a resounding success and now plans are in the works to expand the service.
Daimler’s CAR2GO was introduced to the city on July 21 and offers drivers an alternative to owning their own vehicles.
150 little blue and white, fuel-efficient smart fortwo cars can be found on street corners around the city.
The cars are available for members to use 24 hours a day, seven days a week and users pay by the minute for the actual time they use the car.
Members are issued a special card that they hold up to a reader on the windshield to unlock the vehicle.
The driver then enters a PIN into the touch screen and gains access to the ignition key by completing a questionnaire about the cars condition and confirming that it is not damaged.
Users can pick up and drop off the car anywhere within the CAR2GO Home Area and do not need to drive it back to its original location.
The credit card that the member used to register is then charged for the time used and an invoice will be logged to the user’s member profile.
Membership fees also cover things like gas, parking, insurance, maintenance, roadside assistance and GPS navigation.
The car sharing concept has taken off and now plans are underway to double the fleet to 300 cars and expand the number of Home Areas.
Since July, more than 15,000 people have registered with CAR2GO and drivers have taken over 40,000 trips in the little cars.
The popularity of the service in the city has made Calgary the fastest growing market for CAR2GO in the world.
To register for the service and for more information, visit the CAR2GO website.
