Will Car2Go Launch in Arlington?

• June 15th 2015

by Tianna Mañón

Car2Go, the popular car-sharing service responsible for all of the two-toned tiny cars zipping around DC, looks to finally be making a move into Arlington.

The Arlington County Board’s monthly meeting on Saturday had an agenda item regarding a demonstration study of Car2Go’s point-to-point car sharing, which allows drivers to pick up a car in one place and drop it off at another. The study would put 200 cars on the streets of Arlington for 15 months, which sounds like a bit more than a demonstration study, in UrbanTurf’s opinion. Time ran out at the Saturday meeting before the item could be considered, so the board will address the item on Tuesday.

Currently, Arlington residents can only pick up and return the CarGo cars in DC, making the county’s relationship with the company a passive one that yields few benefits.

Car2Go has been operating in DC since March 2012 and regional drivers were quick to advocate that it be expanded into nearby counties and cities, including Bethesda and Silver Spring. About a year and a half ago, the company launched a marketing campaign to get more support.

Currently, there are over 66,000 Car2Go users in the region and 7,300 of those users live in Arlington, prompting a necessary conversation on the expansion. According to the County Manager’s report, the point-to-point model could “increase access to employment and other community resources for households that have no other option.” It could also reduce how many people have cars, put more money into the pockets of residents and the community as a result, and has less of an impact on the environment.

Additionally, the expansion would have a positive fiscal impact, according to the report. The company would compensate Arlington County $1,645 per vehicle annually to offset the loss of parking meter revenue. One of the perks of using Car2Go is that the company usually pays a jurisdiction a per car fee, so that drivers are exempt from zoned and metered parking laws.

A follow-up meeting is scheduled on Tuesday to discuss putting the cars on the street and studying how the new model impacts the county.

This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/car2go_looks_to_launch_in_arlington/10001.