About a month ago, I signed up for a car2go account. So far I’ve used it twice already and I’ve been pretty happy with the experience.
Why car2go?
- In the case I miss the last SkyTrain home, the car2go would be a cheaper option than taking a taxi, and more time-efficient than waiting for the Night Bus. (It’s roughly $10 for a 20-minute car2go trip from downtown to Richmond, versus a $35 taxi ride. The earliest Night Bus gets me home around 3am).
- I share cars with my parents, so in the rare case that they need the cars, I wanted to have a backup just in case. Since there’s no significant monthly fee, it would not hurt to keep the account just for the times that I need to use it. (There is a $2 annual fee though, but that’s pretty reasonable).
- It’s the only car-sharing service to service Richmond (albeit only at Kwantlen University, but I live close by).
- car2go does not require you to return the car to its original location—it’s a one-way service, which is perfect for my night-time trips.
Coming from driving 20+ year old minivans, the Smart car was comparatively very zippy, and reminded me of driving a go-kart. The accelerating and braking were quite sensitive, but that was not too difficult to get used to.
In case you’re interested in joining, if you get a referral code from someone you know, you can signup for free. (Send me a direct message on Twitter @DennisTT if you don’t know anyone with car2go).
