car2go Celebrates 100 Days of Carsharing in Toronto: 75 Additional Cars for 9,000 New Members
- 325 smart fortwo cars now available for car2go members to share in Toronto
- car2go Food Truck Festival set for Thursday, Oct. 25 in the Entertainment District
TORONTO, Oct. 25, 2012 /CNW/ - Today, car2go Canada Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Daimler North America Corporation, announced it has registered 9,000 new members within 100 days of launching the carsharing program in Toronto, Ontario. To meet member demands, 75 additional cars have been added to the car2go Toronto carsharing network, now making a total of 325 fuel-efficient smart fortwo cars available for car2go members to use and share collaboratively.
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car2go Toronto members drive the 325 available cars an average of 3,000 times per week, and this number is continually increasing week by week. Trips typically range from 3 – 10 kilometres, and they last between 20 to 40 minutes, making the service a great complement to all other modes of transportation available in Toronto.
"The people of Toronto have quickly recognized that car2go is equal parts convenient, flexible, and fun," said Nicholas Cole, president and CEO of car2go Canada. "car2go gives members a large network of cars to use when they need it, where they need it, for as long as they need it -- providing an on-demand carsharing service that is unmatched by any other company in the market."
Cole went on to say, "We have introduced an entirely new method of transportation to the people who live in, work in, and visit Toronto, and the idea is catching on quickly – both here and in all of the car2go cities in North America."
100 Day Celebration
To celebrate 100 successful days of business, car2go is hosting its inaugural car2go Mobile Feast food truck festival on Thursday, October 25 in the Entertainment District of Downtown Toronto. As Toronto's newest carsharing program, car2go is bringing together five of the city's most popular food trucks to one location for one night.
WHAT: |
car2go Mobile Feast 2012 featuring five of Toronto's favorite food trucks: |
Fidel Gastro's |
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Gourmet Gringos |
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Rome'n Chariot |
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Stuft Gourmet Sausages |
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WHEN: |
Thursday, October 25, 2012. Rain or shine, from 4 p.m. – 10 p.m. |
WHERE: |
525 King Street West; Toronto, ON, M5V 1K4 |
COST: |
The event is free and open to the public, with complimentary food, music, games and prizes |
DETAILS: |
All event attendees will be able to register to become a car2go member and receive free car2go lifetime membership and 30 minutes of drive time. Attendees who are already car2go members will have the chance to win free driving time in the car2go Park2Win Parallel Parking Challenge and by spinning the car2go Spin2Win Prize Wheel. |
Fall Promotion
car2go is currently offering a special Fall promotion. For a limited time, those who register online or at the car2go office can use the promotional code FALL2012 and pay just $10 for a lifetime membership and 30 free minutes of driving time. To register, please visit toronto.car2go.com or visit the car2go office in the Fashion District at:
52 Bathurst Street
Toronto, Ontario
For more information about car2go, please visit toronto.car2go.com, follow @car2goToronto on Twitter or become a fan of car2go on Facebook at www.facebook.com/car2go.Toronto.
A New Way to Carshare
car2go provides an entirely new way of carsharing that gives members 24/7 access to a free-floating network of smart fortwo cars. It differs from traditional carsharing or car rental companies, particularly in these three areas:
- BY THE MINUTE: Members pay only for the time they use the car, by the minute, with discounted rates for hourly and daily use. There is no minimum amount of time that a car can be used. Whether they need a car for 10 minutes or an entire day, members simply get in and drive, for as long as they want without having to commit to a specific return time or location. Parking, fuel, maintenance and insurance are included at no additional cost, and there are no annual or monthly fees.
- ON DEMAND: Members can use the first available car2go they find, via a smartphone app, via the car2go vehicle finder at car2go.com, by calling the customer call centre, or by simply locating an available car2go. Reservations are not required because with car2go, members have unrestricted and unlimited access to car2go vehicles 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
- FREE-FLOATING: Members can pick up and drop off a car2go anywhere within the car2go Home Area in an authorized Green P, Target Park or Toronto University parking area. They can simply drive the car for as long as they need it, park the car in one of the designated parking areas, and end the rental by swiping the card on the windshield reader. Instantly the car becomes available for the next member to use.
There are five simple steps to using car2go:
Step 1: Become a Member – Licensed drivers can register to become a car2go member at car2go.com. Within three to five business days, a membership card will be mailed to them. This membership card will give members access to the 325 car2go vehicles in Toronto, as well as access to any car2go vehicle in Vancouver and Calgary.
Step 2: Locate a Vehicle – Members use the car2go finder at car2go.com, a smart phone app, tablet app, or the car2go facebook app to locate the nearest available car. They can either use the car spontaneously (without a reservation) or book a car2go in advance online or through the app, up to 24 hours in advance.
Step 3: Access the Vehicle – Members can simply walk up to the car2go, hold the membership card against the card reader on the windshield and the doors will unlock. After entering a PIN on the touchscreen and rating the condition of the vehicle, a key will be released, allowing them to drive.
Step 4: Drive – Members can take the car key which is stowed next to the touchscreen unit, start the car2go and drive off. They can drive as long as they want, without having to commit to a return time or location.
Step 5: Finish the Trip – Members can complete their trip in a car2go anywhere within the car2go Home Area, in an authorized Green P, Target Park or Toronto University parking area. Charges are calculated by the minute, at a rate of 35 cents per minute, and will be debited from their credit card after exiting the vehicle. Fuel, parking, maintenance and insurance are included at no additional cost.
About car2go
A wholly owned subsidiary of Daimler, car2go offers an innovative mobility solution redefining individual transportation in rapidly growing urban areas by offering a network of several hundred environment-friendly smart fortwo vehicles for rent. It provides an innovative mode of "on-demand" transportation, which complements existing public transportation alternatives by bridging the gaps commonly associated with the "first and last mile" of a public transit commute.
car2go is currently operational in 15 cities worldwide: Austin, Texas; Vancouver, British Columbia; San Diego, California; Washington, D.C.; Portland, Oregon; Toronto, Ontario; Calgary, Alberta; Miami, Florida; Ulm, Germany; Hamburg, Germany; Amsterdam, Netherlands; Vienna, Austria; Dusseldorf, Germany; Berlin, Germany; and Cologne, Germany. In November 2011, car2go launched the world's largest all-electric vehicle carsharing network in the cities of San Diego, California, and Amsterdam, Netherlands, with the deployment of 300 car2go smart fortwo electric drive vehicles in each city. Currently, there are more than 200,000 car2go members worldwide.
The innovation and environmental sustainability of car2go have earned international acclaim: In February 2012, car2go was named the "Best Carshare" by the Vancouver Courier. In September 2010, car2go was recognized by the Austin Chamber of Commerce with the "Greater Austin Business Award" for its positive impact on traffic in the city. The same month, car2go received the "Clean Tech Media Award" in the category of "Mobility" in Berlin. In May 2010, car2go was honored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with its prestigious "2010 EPA Clean Air Excellence Award."
Further information on car2go is available at car2go.com and media.daimler.com/ms/car2go/e.
About Daimler
Daimler AG is one of the world's most successful automotive companies. With its divisions Mercedes-Benz Cars, Daimler Trucks, Mercedes-BenzVans, Daimler Buses and Daimler Financial Services, the Daimler Group is one of the biggest producers of premium cars and the world's biggest manufacturer of commercial vehicles with a global reach. Daimler Financial Services provides financing, leasing, fleet management, insurance and innovative mobility services.
The company's founders, Gottlieb Daimler and Carl Benz, made history with the invention of the automobile in the year 1886. As a pioneer of automotive engineering, Daimler continues to shape the future of mobility today: The Group's focus is on innovative and green technologies as well as on safe and superior automobiles that appeal to and fascinate its customers. For many years now, Daimler has been investing continually in the development of alternative drive systems with the goal of making emission-free driving possible in the long term. So in addition to vehicles with hybrid drive, Daimler now has the broadest range of locally emission-free electric vehicles powered by batteries and fuel cells. This is just one example of how Daimler willingly accepts the challenge of meeting its responsibility towards society and the environment.
Daimler sells its vehicles and services in nearly all the countries of the world and has production facilities on five continents. Its current brand portfolio includes, in addition to the world's most valuable premium automotive brand, Mercedes-Benz, the brands smart, Maybach, Freightliner, Western Star, BharatBenz, Fuso, Setra, Orion and Thomas Built Buses. The company is listed on the stock exchanges of Frankfurt and Stuttgart (stock exchange symbol DAI). In 2011, the Group sold 2.1 million vehicles and employed a workforce of more than 271,000 people; revenue totaled €106.5 billion and EBIT amounted to € 8.8 billion.
SOURCE: car2go Canada Ltd
Katie Stafford, car2go Canada Ltd., mobile: +1-512-497-5826, [email protected]
http://www.car2go.com
http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121025/NY00612
PRN Photo Desk, [email protected]
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