It will be a big day for car sharing in Austin. On Friday, Car2Go goes public.
People can register online or go to the company’s office on 5th Street to sign up. For a short time, the membership fee will be waived.
Members receive cards which are used to unlock one of 200 Smart cars around the city. Keys are kept in the glove box. The cost ranges from 35 cents a minute to $12.99 an hour or $65.99 for the day.
“I think that we will be very successful in the City of Austin,” said CEO Robert Henrich. “And we see that especially young customers find Car2Go very attractive.”
The car sharing program, funded by Daimler, was first launched last year in the German town of Ulm. Austin is the world’s second pilot city for Car2Go.
For the past six months, the service was only available to city and state workers and employees at select business. Friday it becomes available to just about anybody else.
Gasoline, insurance, and city parking are all included in the rental price. Drivers who use the vehicles can take them anywhere, though they must return them to a public space in Austin.
In the meantime, some observers see this as a sign that Austin driving is changing.
A charging station for electric vehicles recently went in at Whole Foods’ flagship store downtown. Officials at Austin energy are anticipating a day when more people drive electric cars.
“We plan to be putting as many as a hundred charging stations in and around Austin over the course of the next couple of years,” said Karl R. Rabago, Austin Energy.
On Friday, Car2Go will hold a sign up event from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Republic Park. The event includes a live concert lineup.
