By now, almost everyone in Denver has caught a glance of the car2go smart cars out on the streets of Denver. Three hundred of the sleek little cars hit the pavement when the service launched in May, 2013, and since then the fleet has grown to 450 vehicles operating in an ever-expanding, 50-square-mile “Home Area” in and around Denver.
Like a motorized version of Denver’s “Bcycle” bike-sharing program, car2go’s car-sharing service allows verified members to find, and drive, a nearby vehicle within the Home Area. Within a few days of signing up, car2go members can use a card or a smartphone to unlock and drive a two-seater smart car, take it anywhere else within the Home Area, park it any legal parking spot (including designated spots at key locations), then keep it reserved or leave it for the next member to take for a spin. The cars are spread strategically throughout the city, and an open vehicle is usually easy to find on car2go’s map on the website and smart phone app.
The service has been praised by public works officials who see it as an antidote for congestion and a bridge to the “last mile” gap of a public transit commute. Mayor Michael B. Hancock said he was “thrilled” when the service to town, and partnerships with Denver’s RTD have integrated the car service into the city’s multi-modal transportation options as it takes its place among the fastest-growing cities in the nation.
Members of car2go, for example, can ride the light-rail to a Park-n-Ride, then easily make the “last mile” from the rail station to home, work, grocery shopping or … wherever. At less than 50 cents a minute (as of early 2015), the math is working out quite well in car2go’s favor as Denver embraces this new, and peppy, option for mobilizing in this fast-growing city.
