Austin pilots car-sharing program

‘Personal public transit’

Steve Hawley, Apr 14, 10.

Austin is the first North American city to pilot a car-sharing program that requires no reservations, according to the Texas Tribune. The fleet of 200 cars can be used anytime day or night, but it is currently limited to government employees and a select number of pilot testers.

The Tribune reports:

It’s brought to Austin’s asphalt arteries by Car2Go, a cooperative car-share subsidiary of German automaker Daimler that launched in Austin last November. Company leaders say they chose the Capitol City for its community of “early adopters,” existing public transportation infrastructure and large college population — not to mention a huge population of state workers — which led the state of Texas to become Car2Go’s newest government partner.

It notes:

Membership cards also serve as an access card to any car in the network, so long as it’s available. See a car, swipe your card to unlock the ride, and find a key inside. Users may drive the car around for however long they’d like, but they’re charged 35 cents a minute or $12.99 an hour, fuel included. Park it (for free, thanks to an agreement with the city), then leave it. Others with cards can then take the car for their own trips. The service also lets you pre-book a vehicle and locate a car by phone or online.

Austin city employees have been using the program for the last six months, and Texas state employees recently became eligible. A spokeswoman for the Austin Transportation Department says that usage has exceeded the initial expectations so far. Some agencies are evaluating whether or not they could eliminate some of their fleet vehicles in favor of the car-sharing approach, and some testers say they might get rid of their personal vehicles and use car-sharing instead due to the convenience and low cost.

Car2Go expects to extend membership to the public by the end of the year. Proponents say the program could reduce congestion, pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions. They also argue that by interfacing with the city’s transit and bicycle facilities, it could potentially reduce the city’s overall vehicle miles traveled.

A Texas Tribune video about Car2Go is below.

(Photo credit: Car2Go)