Carless One Month In - Thoughts on Car2Go So Far

[thelamb]

It's approaching a month since I ditched my hyper-expensive clown car, expunging myself completely from car ownership, whilst living in a city that has no major public transit.  Thought I'd give an update and detail how car2go is working out.  So far so good. 

For starters, I haven't eloquently tackled how to get out to the burbs where my family lives for general visits, holidays, and to watch my dog during business trips:  got rides on thanksgiving, they picked up/dropped off the dog, haven't been other visits.  Next month though, I will be using Enterprise for some Xmas events.  Enterprise actually has great weekend rates, ~$11/day, but is more pricey for the actual holiday (close to $60 for the eve and xmas) and not open on Sundays or the holiday, so my 2 upcoming rentals will require purchasing two days apiece.  Also, have been picked up by friends a handful of times, each warranting a beer as payment. 

I haven't bucked up, grown some balls, and ridden my bike this winter, mainly cuz we've had lots of ice and I'm still a wuss, so getting around has been a lot of walking and an even split of bus and car2go with a sprinkling of cabs. 

Thoughts on car2go so far:  very easy to use, always available within a quarter of a mile, reliable, and, considering all the other costs that have been cut, very cheap (2x cost of the bus at a fraction of the time, 1/4 the cost of a cab and slightly faster as well).  For the first month, I've used it somewhat stupidly, as in taking to places I would typically bike or bus.  I was out of town over the weekend, where also available, and was easily able to joyride way more than I would have preferred.  Overall, the first month of car2go bills added up to about $60 after using 15 times, an average of at least 3 miles a trip (you can do the math).  Taking into consideration the types of places I went this month, this # will easily be around $20 in the warmer months (or when I grow a pair). 

Add in the cabs and the first month of non-car-ownership clocked in under $100.  Next month, due to the holiday rentals, will likely be $150.  Over the course of the year, I estimate an average of $50-75/month.  Considering there's no longer insurance, gas, upkeep, or any form of car payment, the numbers are looking pretty good. 

[aclarridge]

I am a Car2Go member, but haven't found it very useful in my city. Only 2 people fit in the car, I live close to major public transit hubs and it doesn't compete well with subway/bus/streetcars on price, traffic is really bad around here so it's expensive even to go a small distance, and the total area that you can actually park it is quite small. It has only come in handy for oddball 1-way trips maybe 3-4 times for me in the past year.

I find renting a car through traditional rental agencies works better for me. Car2Go is a great idea, I just wish they would do it with less expensive 4-door cars so that rides can be shared and costs kept lower, and operate it on a larger area in my city.

[thelamb]

FI40:  Yeah, I'm with you on all accounts.  In a city that actually has public transit, with tons of congestion or limited parking, wouldn't make much sense.  Fortunately, in Columbus, the standard use is 4-5 miles/<10 minutes, parking is virtually unlimited.  My biggest hesitation was also the size.  Ultimately, I hope another player, like Enterprise, comes in and competes and offers up a solution where you can more easily transition from "oh, I need a car for a one-way 10-minute trip" to "I need a car all day", both with real cars.  The huge downside was car2go's daily rate is $72 or $14/hour, both pretty darn pricey.  The big drawback I get is in the case where I'd love to go visit the family for 3-4 hours and they're out of the "home area".  Thus, my options are:  use car2go and get really close to the daily rate ($72), take a cab each way (about the same), rent a car for the day (if over the weekend $11/day for enterprise, but have to do both days), or beg someone for a ride (annoying to them). 

[dragoncar]

Over the course of the year, I estimate an average of $50-75/month.  Considering there's no longer insurance, gas, upkeep, or any form of car payment, the numbers are looking pretty good. 

This is about what my older car costs me, so I like the flexibility of having the car.  I didn't add in my time value for repairs, though (although it's pretty reliable)

[frompa]

Thanks for the update on carless-ness.  I've considered it for years, but haven't pulled the plug, though my car often sits unused in front of my house for weeks.  I am also in a small city with lousy public transportation; however, I ride my bicycle year round and I find that gives me the mileage I need.  As for biking in winter weather, (and we, too, have snow and ice in this part of Pennsylvania), probably the biggest single factor that gives me the confidence to ride no matter what is a steel studded tire on the front wheel.  This sucker works.  First one I got was bought from Sweden or some other such snowy place.  Since then (years ago), I've been working with homemaders -- screws through a wheel.  Look on line for directions in making them-- cheap and easy, and even fun.  I hope you can keep it up; and I look forward to further updates.