Earlier this month, car2go announced that it would be shrinking its local car sharing service area, removing outlying areas that saw lesser usage in order to serve the higher volume areas of the city. The changes, which took effect today, removed portions of northern Clintonville, Linden, West Franklinton, the eastern side of Olde Towne East and Bexley from the car2go “home zone”.
While users of the system who live or work outside the boundaries have voiced displeasure about the changes, they can take some consolation in the announcement of a new transit partnership between COTA and car2go, which will designate a certain number of car2go zones at park-and-ride stations outside of the new home zone boundaries, primarily in Clintonville and Linden. The park-and-ride stations will work similarly to what is currently set up for car2go service at Easton Town Center, and will take effect immediately.
“Our partnership with car2go is an example of how COTA works to improve mobility options for people in central Ohio,” said COTA President and CEO Curtis Stitt. “We’re pleased to share space with car2go at these Park & Rides and make alternative transportation options even more accessible to our community.”
The change in home zone boundaries for car2go has also meant a reduction in fleet size. The system topped out when the service expanded to Bexley with 300 cars available to drive locally, and the system has lowered back down to 220 currently, according to the online mapping tool on the car2go website.
For more information, visit COTA.com and columbus.car2go.com.