I'll Take That to Go

There's a new form of ecofriendly transit for Calgary's Inner City residents, travellers and commuters these days and it comes in a small package.

The car sharing initiative car2go, a subsidiary of Daimler North America Corporation — that got its start in Austin, Texas — launched July 21, across the city 150 lowemission smart cars are available for Calgarians on the go. "We are in a time that demands new mobility solutions in rapidly growing urban areas," said Nicholas Cole, president and CEO of car2go Canada. "Calgary is one of the fastest growing cities in North America and we are thrilled to be a part of the growth of this city and to bring more accessible, more flexible transportation solutions the people who live in work in and visit the City of Calgary."

People who register to become car2go members receive a membership card that allows them to gain access to, and drive in any of the available car2go vehicles in Calgary when they want, for as long as they want without having to commit to a return time or location.

"We are proud to partner with car2go to provide a convenient parking and mobility choice for Calgarians that integrates our ParkPlus technology and their GPS tracking system," said Troy McLeod, general manager of the Calgary Parking Authority.

Membership fees for the system includes paying only for the time members use the car by the minute with discounted rates for hourly and daily use. Cars can be found via a smartpone app, through the car2go vehicle finder at car2go.com, by calling the customer call centre or by finding an available car itself. The rates while driving — plus tax — are $0.35 a minute, $12.99 an hour, $65.99 per day and $0.45 per kilometer after 200 kilometres per rental. The price includes refueling, cleaning, roadside assistance, GPS navigation, insurance, parking, maintenance and more.

Members can pick up and drop off their car2go anywhere within the "Home Area" which is bordered by 16th Avenue in the north, Deerfoot and Blackfoot Trail in the east, Glenmore Trail in the south, Sarcee in the southwest and Shaganappi Trail in the northwest.

Fast Company dubbed car2go one of the 10 Most Innovative Companies in Transportation in March 2011 for "launching a flexible, eco-friendly option in car sharing."

To register for a car2go membership, check out wwww.calgary.car2go.com.

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