in North America, the largest one-way car-sharing service launched in 2009 with initial pilot in Austin, Texas
AUSTIN, Texas, Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — car2go, the largest, fastest-growing one-way carsharing service in the world, announced today that its North American member base has eclipsed one million users. The milestone comes nine years after 200 car2go vehicles were first introduced in North America in a 2009 pilot program in Austin, Texas. Since then, the service has expanded to serve 11 cities in the United States and Canada.
“Today marks a monumental achievement for car2go and for car-sharing in North America,” said car2go North America CEO Paul DeLong. “One million North Americans who car share with car2go is proof that carsharing is no longer a novel idea or an experiment. Car-sharing is now a proven transportation tool that positively impacts mobility and quality of life in cities all over the world.”
“Car-sharing growth continues worldwide,” said Dr. Susan Shaheen of the Transportation Sustainability Research Center of the University of California, Berkeley.” As of January 2017, there were 1.9 million car-sharing members in North America. car2go’s sustained membership growth has contributed to car-sharing’s mainstream acceptance by millions of Americans and Canadians now embracing shared mobility in cities.”
car2go added its millionth member in Toronto, Canada. Toronto is car2go’s most active city worldwide, and has enjoyed nearly 35-percent year-over-year membership growth in 2017.
The rise of car2go in North America
Daimler introduced car2go in Germany in 2008 and it proved so popular that the service quickly expanded throughout Europe, then into North America in 2009. After a successful pilot project with the City of Austin, Texas – where car2go would establish its North American headquarters – car2go would expand to serve 11 North American cities across the U.S. and Canada.
In 2017, car2go began introducing Mercedes-Benz vehicles into its vehicle network in most locations and began replacing older generation smart fortwo vehicles with the new, more spacious but compact Mercedes-Benz CLA and GLA model vehicles as well as new generation smart fortwo vehicles.
What a long – and sometimes strange – trip
- car2go members in North America have taken 40 million trips totaling 2,055 years of drive time covering 172,585 miles or 277,750 kilometers
- car2go added approximately 185,000 new members in the U.S. and Canada in 2017
- Usage of car2go’s service has also increased 33-percent year-over year from 2016 to 2017. In 2017, car2go introduced new compact Mercedes-Benz CLA and GLA car2go vehicles, which helped enable car2go members to take more family and friends more places with more of their things
- Toronto has the highest car2go usage of any car2go location not just in North America, but worldwide, while New York City is currently car2go’s fastest-growing membership base with 70-percent year over year growth
- car2go’s one million U.S. and Canadian members share a vehicle network of approximately 6,000 Mercedes-Benz and smart vehicles. U.S. and Canadian members can use any available car2go when visiting any other car2go location in North America
- car2go North America’s fastest growing locations are New York City, Vancouver and Calgary, in that order
- Strangest things left behind in a car2go: a live crab, a parachute, a barbecue grill, and adult toys
Reducing traffic and improving air quality
One-way car sharing is a proven shared mobility solution that helps to reduce road congestion and greenhouse gas emissions. The first-ever impact study of one-way car-sharing in North American cities was conducted in late 2016 by U.C. Berkeley‘s Transportation Sustainability Research Center. The multi-year research effort found that each car2go vehicle removed up to 11 vehicles from city streets. The study, which surveyed five car2go cities, also estimated that an average of 10 percent of greenhouse gas emissions across the study population had been reduced due to the replacement of private vehicles by car2go’s shared fleet. car2go plans to further improve mobility and help to improve the quality of air by encouraging more drivers to incorporate one way carsharing into their transportation routines.
Free registration for new car2go members
Between now and December 31, 2017 car2go is offering free registration and drive credit for new car2go members. Download the car2go app or register at car2go.com with the code THANKSAMILLION to receive free registration plus $5 of drive credit. car2go covers its members insurance, parking, gas and maintenance.
About car2go N.A. LLC
car2go N.A., LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Daimler North America Corporation, offers an innovative mobility solution in rapidly growing urban areas via a car-sharing network of affordable, eco-friendly Mercedes-Benz and smart vehicles. A flexible and “on demand” mode of transportation, car2go complements existing public transportation by bridging the gaps between the “first and last mile” of a member’s commute. car2go members use a free, downloadable app on their smartphone to find, reserve, take and end trips in car2go vehicles. TIME Magazine ranked the car2go app #5 on its “Top 10 Apps of 2017” list. Today, car2go’s global operation is the largest, fastest-growing carsharing program in the world with more than 2.9 million registered members and a fleet of nearly 14,000 vehicles in 26 locations in North America, Europe and Asia. Further information on car2go is available at car2go.com and car2go.com/NA/en/press/.
SOURCE car2go N.A. LLC