VANCOUVER, B.C. — car2go Canada Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Daimler North America Corporation, will expand its Vancouver operations to meet the needs of its more than 10,000 members.
Beginning in mid-April, 100 car2go edition smart fortwo cars will be added to the car2go carsharing network, the car2go Home Area will expand and new car2go parking spots will be secured, including eight new spots on the University of British Columbia campus.
car2go launched in Vancouver in June 2011 with 225 cars, 2,000 members, and an average of 1,500 trips per week. Today there are more than 10,000 car2go members in Vancouver, and the number of trips per week has increased to more than 8,000.
To meet the demands of this increased utilization, an additional 100 car2go edition smart fortwo cars will be added to the Vancouver network and will be available for members to use collaboratively, beginning in April.
Additionally, car2go will begin a pilot with several smart fortwo electric drive vehicles to determine further development of electric carsharing in Vancouver.
New car2go Home Area
Beginning in mid-April, the car2go Home Area will extend beyond its existing boundaries, South to 49th and East to Renfrew. Members will be able to pick up and drop off car2go anywhere within this 70-square kilometre space.
car2go members will continue to receive the benefit of free parking. Free curbside and dedicated parking spots are conveniently located throughout numerous specially marked locations in the car2go Home Area; and several additional car2go parking spots will soon be available for members to use.
Each car2go vehicle is now equipped with a GPS system that includes all car2go parking spots as points of interest. Members can simply touch the icon on the screen and they will be provided with directions to the nearest dedicated parking spot.
Additionally, car2go has worked with the University of British Columbia to bring more flexible on-campus parking to students. car2go designated on-street parking will be available in select locations on the UBC Campus, starting April 1. The parking spots are located on campus directly across the street from the Northern Bus Loop and can accommodate up to eight car2go; and off campus at Wesbrook Village where an additional eight cars can be parked.