Arlington Car2Go Users May Soon Be Able to Pick Up and Drop Off Cars in DC

April 11, 2016

by Nena Perry-Brown

Arlington Car2Go Users May Soon Be Able to Pick Up and Drop Off Cars in DC: Figure 1

When car2go launched in Arlington last year, there was a good deal of excitement surrounding the county’s new mode of transportation. However, the point-to-point car-sharing service that allows users to pick up cars on city streets using an app and take them on one-way trips, did not allow users to take the cars out of the county and leave them in DC or vice versa. Now that could be changing.

The Arlington County Board will consider an amendment next weekend that will allow car2go users more commuting flexibility. Specifically, the amendment will allow for cross-jurisdictional service for car2go in Arlington County and DC through the remainder of the year, which is still within Arlington’s initial car2go evaluation period. At that point, the service would be subject to review and approval again by the County Attorney.

Enforcement of the amendment would also be contingent upon coordination with and approval from the District of Columbia Department of Transportation (DDOT).

“DDOT is currently reviewing the concept proposed by car2go and, if approved, has committed to working with Arlington to design an acceptable trial period of cross-jurisdictional service, consistent with the remainder of Arlington’s demonstration study period,” a County staff report stated.

Car2go services started in Arlington last October on a trial basis, and although membership is steadily increasing and several hiccups have been resolved, concerns remain for the program. Membership in the program’s initial months was lower than expected, and there have been several complaints regarding how long the cars remain idle in the county’s residential and commercial corridors.