Car Share

Changing City · #1 Posted **Dec 18, 2019, 7:38 PM**

I couldn't see any recent threads that were the right place to post this news, and it seemed important enough to create a new thread.

Car2Go/Share Now closing down in North America.

"It’s with a heavy heart that we must share that our last day of SHARE NOW service in North America will be 2/29/20. We are grateful to everyone who has supported us over the years and we regret the inconvenience caused when service ends."

Presumably Modo, Evo and Zipcar will have an opportunity to pick up the slack; other cities will face greater impacts.

SFUVancouver · #2 Posted **Dec 18, 2019, 7:47 PM**

That's an unfortunate loss for Vancouver, not only for mobility choice but also a regional office (Car2Go North America was headquartered here).

jlousa · #3 Posted **Dec 18, 2019, 8:11 PM**

Evo is probably breathing a sign of relief today, they were struggling and their were rumours they might pull the plug, this news will certainly help their bottom line.

whatnext · #4 Posted **Dec 18, 2019, 8:37 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by jlousa

Evo is probably breathing a sign of relief today, they were struggling and their were rumours they might pull the plug, this news will certainly help their bottom line.

I'm not surprised, given the amount of Evo accidents I've personally witnessed. I'd love to see the ICBC accident claims against them.

officedweller · #5 Posted **Dec 19, 2019, 5:23 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by whatnext

I'm not surprised, given the amount of Evo accidents I've personally witnessed. I'd love to see the ICBC accident claims against them.

Car share drivers seem to drive like they're in a video game - maybe because they aren't regular drivers (?)

logan5 · #6 Posted **Dec 19, 2019, 5:29 AM**

I think it's those little smart cars. They're like go carts. I drive my own mid size car and Car2Go Smart cars. 2 entirely different driving experiences.

aberdeen5698 · #7 Posted **Dec 19, 2019, 6:52 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by officedweller

Car share drivers seem to drive like they're in a video game - maybe because they aren't regular drivers (?)

It's the per-minute metering. When my wife passed away I lost the use of our vehicle for a while because I couldn't renew the insurance as it was registered in her name. So I signed up for Car2Go.

In theory, for the amount of driving I was doing, Car2Go was cheaper than buying, insuring and maintaining my own vehicle. But man, I found that the per-minute charge really applies pressure and stress when you're out there in stop-and-go traffic.

JHikka · #8 Posted **Dec 18, 2019, 8:39 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Changing City

Presumably Modo, Evo and Zipcar will have an opportunity to pick up the slack; other cities will face greater impacts.

I recently had a flawless rental using Enterprise CarShare here in Toronto. AFAIK TO and Vancouver are the only available markets for the service right now.

Changing City · #9 Posted **Dec 18, 2019, 9:09 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by JHikka

I recently had a flawless rental using Enterprise CarShare here in Toronto. AFAIK TO and Vancouver are the only available markets for the service right now.

It's not available in Vancouver. Toronto, Mississauga, Oshawa and Waterloo so far.

WarrenC12 · #10 Posted **Dec 18, 2019, 9:06 PM**

Wow, I'm pretty shocked. All this time it looked like car share ownership was what most of the major manufacturers were getting into, in order to preserve their brands in some sort of future "mobility as a service" world.

whatnext · #11 Posted **Dec 18, 2019, 9:22 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

Wow, I'm pretty shocked. All this time it looked like car share ownership was what most of the major manufacturers were getting into, in order to preserve their brands in some sort of future "mobility as a service" world.

Looks like it was just another "fad of the month".

WarrenC12 · #12 Posted **Dec 18, 2019, 9:31 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by whatnext

Looks like it was just another "fad of the month".

Car2go has been around a lot longer than that. I'm sure certain markets (like Vancouver) were better than others.

whatnext · #13 Posted **Dec 18, 2019, 11:40 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

Car2go has been around a lot longer than that. I'm sure certain markets (like Vancouver) were better than others.

Meh, maybe Vancouver just did well because there was no Uber etc. If jlousa is right and Evo is also marginal it might just be the economics of car share doesn't work.

WestCoastEcho · #14 Posted **Dec 18, 2019, 11:53 PM**

Interesting to note that Car2go is pulling out of all of North America, and apparently, are even shrinking in Europe; they only intend on servicing 18 cities in Europe, dropping London, Florence, and Brussels.

I would imagine that since Car2go relied very heavily on the Smart cars, and since Smart pulled out of North America, they were struggling to find a suitable replacement vehicle from their Daimler parent company.

The other car share companies don't seem to have this problem; Evo relies on Toyota Prius C's, and Modo and Zip use a variety of vehicle brands in their fleets.

s211 · #15 Posted **Dec 19, 2019, 4:01 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by whatnext

it might just be the economics of car share doesn't work.

I don't know if the assertion is true, but on the news today an industry expert of sorts said that car2go had never made a profit.

cairnstone · #16 Posted **Dec 18, 2019, 9:25 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

Wow, I'm pretty shocked. All this time it looked like car share ownership was what most of the major manufacturers were getting into, in order to preserve their brands in some sort of future "mobility as a service" world.

I dont think the money is there. Uber lost millions when it tried to roll out a carshare ride hailing program.

WarrenC12 · #17 Posted **Dec 18, 2019, 9:32 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by cairnstone

I dont think the money is there. Uber lost millions when it tried to roll out a carshare ride hailing program.

The money isn't there for Uber yet either, they lose Billions a year.

Autonomous cars will change all that, eventually.

bb1510 · #18 Posted **Dec 18, 2019, 10:48 PM**

I was surprised when I saw the email

I've always thought that car2go and drivenow did pretty well in markets like Vancouver and Seattle

However, I wasn't surprised when drivenow pulled out of the New York market a few years back prior to the merger to become sharenow given how little care people took of the vehicles; I'd imagine their repair costs were quite high for such a market

jollyburger · #19 Posted **Dec 18, 2019, 11:45 PM**

Love it how when Car2Go was some kind of partnership with municipalities but ride sharing it's always some negative spin on them having to change parking signs:

https://www.citynews1130.com/2019/12...lings-arrival/

logan5 · #20 Posted **Dec 18, 2019, 11:59 PM**

Damn. I think Vancouver was one of the few profitable markets in NA, so maybe someone will take over those vehicles and software. The Car2Go app works better than Evo.