New Car-Sharing Service Starts in September in Arlington

A new way to get around town is coming to Arlington next month. Car2Go, which was OK’d for a pilot project in Arlington by the Arlington County Board earlier this summer, will officially get underway Sept. 19, the company announced today.

The company plans to bring 200 cars to the county for the test.

Beginning today for a limited time, car2go will offer discounted membership registration for $10 as well as 30 free minutes of drive time when registering with the promotional code: DRIVE703.

“Arlington has shown an increasing appetite for more flexible and convenient mobility options, such as bikesharing and the Metro’s new Silver Line, and we’ve heard consistent requests to add car2go to the mix,” said car2go Washington D.C. General Manager Adam Johnson. “We’re excited to make car2go an important part of the evolving transit landscape in Arlington, enhancing existing transit options and offering residents greater choice and flexibility in their day-to-day lives.”

Kicking off Sept. 19, car2go members will be able to use the service by the minute, 24 hours a day, seven days a week – without committing to a specific return time. The car2go Home Area, where members can pick up or drop off a car2go, will cover approximately 22 square miles in Arlington. Due to local regulations, trips that begin in Arlington must end in Arlington, and trips that begin in Washington D.C. must end in Washington D.C. Members are welcome to drive to Washington D.C., but must ensure that their rental is ended within the same Home Area in which it began.

The car2go Arlington fleet will feature the next generation of car2go technology, allowing members to go through each step of the car2go experience – from locating a vehicle to starting and ending their trip – seamlessly via their smartphone. By eliminating the need for a member card, members will now have quicker, more streamlined access to car2go vehicles. Members will be able to identify the new car2go vehicles via the “car2go App Required” decals on the windshield and “smartphone only” labels on the car2go smartphone app.

“Arlington has been at the forefront of expanding and improving transportation options, and our new year-long demonstration study with car2go is another opportunity to show residents, workers and visitors how easy it is to travel without owning a car,” said Dennis Leach, Arlington County Director of Transportation.

“We are thrilled to see this new mobility option roll out here in Crystal City and throughout Arlington as a whole,” said Angela Fox, President/CEO of the Crystal City Business Improvement District. “Mobility is key to economic competitiveness and car2go’s arrival makes for an even stronger Arlington.”

car2go has 1,200 car2go members currently living in Arlington and 48,000 members within the Washington D.C. area. Today, car2go’s global operation is the largest, fastest-growing carsharing program in the world with more than 1,000,000 registered members with access to 13,500 car2go edition smart fortwo vehicles within 30 locations across the globe.

Members can locate a car2go vehicle via the car2go smartphone app, the car2go website, by calling the customer call center, or simply by finding an available car on the street anywhere within the Home Area in Arlington.

When members are finished using the vehicle, they may park at any city metered space, or on any residential neighborhood street within the car2go Home Area. Parking, fuel, insurance, and maintenance are included at no additional cost.

Members can use the car2go service by the minute and pay only for the time they use the vehicle, with discounted rates for hourly and daily use. There are no annual or monthly fees required to use the service.

PHOTO of car2go car in Shirlington courtesy of car2go