German automaker Daimler will launch its car2go car sharing service in Vancouver, British Columbia.
The car2go concept was first launched in Ulm, Germany, three years ago and was later rolled out to Austin, Texas. So far more than 35,000 customers have joined the programme and there have been more than 600,000 fully automated rental transactions averaging between 10 and 60 minutes.
In addition, the service was recently introduced in Hamburg, Germany, and is set to become operational in Amsterdam, Netherlands, at the end of the year.
The service uses a free floating model of car sharing where cars are available throughout the city on demand or reserved in advance. Members can use the website, a smart phone application or a telephone hotline to find the nearest vehicle. They can then drive the car when and where they want and leave it at any available “permit only” on-street parking spot in the downtown area or residential neighbourhoods.
Car2go charges its customers based on their use of the vehicle with rental prices in Vancouver to begin at $0.35 per minute or $12.99 an hour.
