"With car2go you can simply get in and drive. Our customers can rent a vehicle spontaneously - without prior reservation or specifying a time of return. You can simply leave the vehicle at your destination without having to return it to the departure point", says Robert Henrich, Managing Director of car2go GmbH, explaining the special features of the mobility system.
The car2go vehicles can be rented and returned within an operating area of approximately 80 square kilometres covering the city centre and several densely populated suburbs. Unlike traditional carsharing programs or car rental companies, car2go is a free-floating concept. Vehicles will not be parked at fixed stations. Instead, they are moved by the members several times a day so that public parking spaces are occupied no longer than necessary.
In Vienna, car2go is going to deploy the world's first production model specifically developed to enable a fully-automatic and simple rental process: the smart fortwo "car2go edition". It is known for its agility in city traffic and is fitted with an economical petrol engine with automatic start/stop system.
Experience in other cities has shown that car2go is complementing the already existing means of transportation in a city. Customer surveys proof that car2go customers use rail and bus more frequently than their own car to get around the city, reducing the density of traffic in urban areas.
"Vienna has a highly regarded and well-used public transport system. car2go wants to supplement this most important form of transport with a further option for city-dwellers, making the overall system even more attractive", says car2go CEO Henrich.
Customers can rent free car2go vehicles spontaneously on the street or find and reserve them via the internet and smartphone applications. The vehicle selected can be unlocked using a membership card. The car2go rental can be finished at any public parking space within the business area - no need to feed the meter. Customers have complete freedom with regard to when they start their journey, how long they keep the vehicle for and their destination.
car2go is charging a one-time registration fee of 9,90 Euro. There is no deposit, no long-term contract and no annual membership fee.
car2go charges customers only for the actual use of the vehicle, with rental periods as short as a per-minute basis. The rental prices in Vienna are 0,29 Euro per driving minute, 12,90 Euro per hour and 39 Euro per day (24 hours). During stopovers, which can be used for example while shopping, a special parking rate of 0,09 Euro per minute will be calculated.
Fuel, insurance, taxes and parking costs are fully included in this price. car2go drivers do not need to pay for public parking at meters because parking fees are included in the rental fee, determined automatically by car2go Österreich GmbH and paid to the city. The price furthermore includes mileage up to 20 kilometres. Additional kilometres will cost 0,29 Euro each.
Experience shows that the average range of a car2go rental is between 5 and 10 kilometres so the extra mileage costs are only relevant for those members who leave the city.
From November 15th, Vienna residents can register at www.car2go.com. From November 21st, they can also register in person at the car2go office at Hintere Zollamtsstraße 9 in 1030 Vienna. Currently, all new members will receive a 60 minute driving credit as a thank you for their registration.
In September 2011, the car2go Österreich GmbH was founded as a company of the Daimler subsidiary car2go GmbH. It will be integrated into the Joint Venture between car2go and Europcar International named car2go Europe GmbH after the official foundation of the company.
car2go has already been successfully launched in four cities: in October 2008 in Ulm, in November 2009 in the Texan capital of Austin (USA), in April 2011 in Hamburg and in June 2011 in Vancouver (Canada). A total of more than 1000 car2go vehicles are currently on the road and more than 45.000 members have registered for the service. End of November, launch is scheduled in Amsterdam and in San Diego, California. In January, car2go is going to start operations in its first French city Lyon.