Car2Go is a company with a very neat concept. You need a car, you check the map, find the vehicle near you, grab it, drive to your destination, drop it there, and you’re free to go. And their cars are small, cool, and fuel efficient. Some are even electric if you feel strongly about not adding to the pollution of your hometown.
Aside of Brooklyn, they have service in the following North American cities. Your card is good in all of them.
Columbus Parking Rules and FAQ
Minneapolis-St.Paul Parking Rules and FAQ
Montreal Parking Rules and FAQ
Portland Parking Rules and FAQ
San Diego Parking Rules and FAQ
Vancouver Parking Rules and FAQ
Washington DC Parking Rules and FAQ
When you sign up you get a card that you will use to open the car and end your trip. You can use their website, app, or give them a call to find where your nearest ride is located. You can park anywhere on the curbside where the parking is allowed (there are restrictions). Here is the video that shows how it works.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VclAxWxVhG4
All that goodness comes with a cost. Car2Go is not cheap.
Yes, they have stopovers, too.
Unlike airline stopovers that can be a great way to see more places for the same price, Car2Go stopovers seem to me as a sucker deal. You are responsible for the time and parking charges, and since you are charged by the minute, you most probably won’t feel like stopping and having a full lunch in the middle of your commute (like that clip suggests). As to paying $85 per day, that’s simply ridiculous, since a car rental in Brooklyn will cost you half or even less than that.
The appeal of Car2Go (aside of the cuteness and neatness factors) is apparently for those who don’t have a car. Still, even I could think of a few situations when I could use it to my advantage. When I go drinking with my buddies, for example, it would be nice to drive one way, park my car and forget about it. Would save me a few bucks over a car service.
OK, that’s only one example, I know. But I could find more. I think…
Car2Go could be truly awesome if there weren’t unnecessary restrictions.
When I read about Car2Go, my little brain went into spinning. From my home in South Brooklyn, it’s less than 30 minutes to JFK. Wouldn’t it be nice, I thought, if I could drive to Howard Beach (which is about 25 minutes away) where there is no alternate parking sides and free street parking is plentiful, ditch the car, and grab an AirTran to JFK for $5, which, being an MTA ride, is reimbursable by Barclycard Arrival. The whole ride would cost me about $16 before the $5 reimbursement vs. $35-40 car service ride.
But alas, no. You can only drop your car in your “home area”, which for me is Brooklyn. And both New York airports are in Queens. Sucks!
Come on, Car2Go! Drop this unnecessary restrictions, and you will win a lot of converts. People could get from Brooklyn to JFK and vice versa. Seriously, promise me you’ll think about it, at least.
And by the way, all their suggestions how people should use Car2Go suck volumes for any budget-oriented person. Do not use their stopovers. Like I said before–a sucker’s bet.
The Deal
The Car2Go membership costs $35, but they will waive the fee and give you 30 minutes free for a limited time. If you think that you can really use the service, this is about $47 in combined savings. Click on the pic.
So would this service work for you? What do you think?
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