Green Families: Car Sharing in Vancouver
Getting around Vancouver without your own car – and with kids in tow – can be challenging. Transit is great, but depending on where you live, where you’re going, the day of the week and what you’re packing along for the ride it isn’t always practical. Ditto for walking and cycling. Carpooling is fabulous if you happen to be going to the same place at the same time as someone nearby, and there are enough car seats and seat belts for everyone, but that isn’t always the case. More and more Vancouver families who are looking for a greener (and more affordable) way to travel are opting for car sharing.
Car Sharing in Vancouver
The City of Vancouver has a page outlining your local options for carpooling, ride sharing and car sharing. Here in Vancouver, there are three main options when it comes to car sharing. Each one makes it as easy as possible to reserve and drive vehicles. Here’s the scoop on each.
Car2Go
Car2Go operates a fleet of more than 300 two-seater vehicles around the city. You pay a nominal starting fee, and then rental fees are 41 cents per minute, with an hourly maximum of $14.99 and a daily maximum of $84.99. There are additional fees if you drive the car more than 200 kilometers during a single rental. Fuel, insurance, parking and maintenance are all included in those fees. The cars are located all across the City of Vancouver and on the North Shore, and you can pick one up wherever it’s parked and drop it off anywhere in the home area. Because they’re two-seaters, many families who use this car sharing program have a family vehicle, and one parent uses Car2Go if a second car is needed for any reason.
Modo Car Coop
Modo got its start in Vancouver 16 years ago, and today it has more than 9000 members and business drivers, and a fleet of 300 vehicles. Modo is also bringing car sharing to the suburbs, with 250 locations across Vancouver, the North Shore, Richmond, Burnaby, Coquitlam, New Westminster and Surrey. Most cars, however, are located in the City of Vancouver, so urban moms will have more vehicles to choose from. Modo operates a variety of vehicle types, each of which is located in a permanent spot, where you both pick it up and drop it off. Because Modo has a variety of cars of all shapes and sizes including family sedans and minivans, they are a good choice for car sharing with kids in tow. Joining the coop is $500 (but you get it back if you leave). Once you join, you pay $3 per hour ($36 max daily) and a per kilometer rate. If you don’t want to join you can be a casual member and pay $7.50 per hour up to a max of $60 per day.
ZipCar
ZipCar is a global car sharing network, that you can use here in Vancouver and in other cities when you travel. This makes ZipCar a good option if you find yourself on the road a lot for business. ZipCar has been in Vancouver since 2007, and they operate a fleet with a wide variety of different vehicle types, located around Vancouver as well as on the North Shore, in Richmond and at SFU. Occasional drivers pay a $65 annual fee, and $8.25 per hour or $73 per day. Monthly drivers pay $6 per month, and $8.25 per hour or $73 per day. Or there’s an extra value plan for $50 per month, and $7.43 per hour or $65.70 per day.
Happy car sharing!
