Why Calgarians Love Car2Go
When car2go was introduced to Calgary in July 2012, people were excited about the service and flocked to sign up. Now, Calgary has more car2go members than any other city in North America, including Vancouver, Toronto, Austin and Portland.
Here’s how the numbers break down:
150
The number of car2go vehicles in calgary when it began in 2012.
400
The number of car2go vehicles in Calgary now.
15,000
The number of members after the first 60 days in Calgary.
35,000
The number of car2go members in Calgary after one year.
30,000
The number of car2go members in Vancouver.
22,000
The number of car2go members in Toronto.
88 square-kilometres
The initial size of the home zone.
110 square-kilometres
The current size of the home zone.
30
The average number of minutes of a car2go trip.
25
The number of cities worldwide with car2go.
The enthusiasm Calgarians have for car sharing is the result of a range of different factors, explains Lina Kattan an associate professor of civil engineering at the University of Calgary. The most influential factors are the convenience of the car2go service and the cost of parking here in Calgary.
“The parking in downtown is really high compared to other cities. It is one of the highest parking rates in North America,” says Kattan. “Most car2go trips are made to and from downtown. I’m a member and I can drive downtown for $6. If I were to take my own car, I would have to pay for parking. Car2go is really much cheaper.”
Another factor is the cost of car ownership. The service provides people with an alternative to owning a second vehicle or the option of not having a car at all and using car2go for longer trips for things like groceries.
“If you compare it to the cost of owning a car, which includes parking, fuel, maintenance and insurance, car2go’s fee of $0.38 per minute works for a lot of people’s budget,” says Jon Wycoco, the location manager for car2go Calgary.
Car2go is complementary to Calgary’s broader transportation network. People can use it in tandem with transit, cycling, walking, taxi service and their own personal vehicles explained Wycoco.
Another perk of car sharing is that vehicles tend to be used by several different people in one day. If someone drives a personal car to go for coffee, for example, that car stays in the parking spot for the duration of their trip. However, car2go vehicles move quickly, freeing up space.
“It’s a service that Calgarians wanted but didn’t necessarily realize that they needed,” said Wycoco. “We’re a very progressive city, one that understands the car sharing technology and one that recognized that we need some type of car sharing service on a large scale, as well.”