The City of Austin hopes Smart cars will help relieve congestion, and Tuesday launched a car sharing program on its test run.
The small blue and white Smart cars aren't yet available to everyone. The City of Austin teamed up with a company called Car2Go.
“It's essentially a barter agreement with Car2Go. We're providing some on street parking spots for their cars in exchange they are providing some cars for our employees to use for business use,” said Karla Villalon, City of Austin transportation department.
City employees are the only eligible drivers during the Car2Go pilot run. They will be able to use the cars during business hours. A fleet of about 200 will begin driving around town Tuesday.
“(We’re feeling) very excited. We've been waiting for this day for almost 12 months now since we first approached the city,” said Nick Cole, CEO of North America Car2Go.
The pilot program will last about six months before officials decide whether to expand the program to the general public.
Car2Go is hopeful. The company has launched its car sharing program in Germany. Austin is the second city and the only one in the U.S. with the Car2Go vehicles.
“A large scale car sharing program also is a way to get more cars off the road. Car sharing is especially good for those people who don't need a car everyday but need a car occasionally,” said Villalon.
If it’s approved for the general public, the car sharing program will likely work the same in Austin as in Germany. Whenever a car is needed, drivers can go by the Car2Go office and rent a vehicle or pre-book one online or by phone.
Cars may be used for a certain length of time. Afterward, drivers return the vehicle to a reserved Car2Go parking spot. There are signs on the sidewalk marking those spots.
It’s unclear how much a rental will cost, but some drivers are already anxious to try it out.
“They tend to stand out -- that's for sure. They look unique, and they look like they'd be fun to drive,” said Dick Green.
The vehicles seat two and get about 36 miles to a gallon.
The program launched at 10 a.m. Tuesday at the Long Center.
