After multiple expansions of its “home area” – to the OSU campus and to neighborhoods like Grandview and Bexley – car2go Columbus announced today that they will be reducing their service area for the first time. The changes will take place on August 26th.
That means that residents of northern Clintonville, Linden, West Franklinton, and any area east of Champion Avenue (including Bexley), will no longer be able to start or end a trip in their neighborhood. The new service area extends north to North Broadway (instead of Morse Road), but still includes Grandview Heights and designated parking areas on the OSU campus, at Easton, and at Port Columbus.
The move, according to an email sent out to members this morning, was made in response to feedback about the availability of the blue-and-white branded smart cars in the core urban neighborhoods of Columbus. After reviewing ridership numbers, car2go decided to address those concerns by limiting the service to the part of Columbus that they say accounts for 91% of all trips.
A further explanation of the change was provided in the email;
By modifying the Home Area size to areas where car2go trips occur the most, we believe that this change will help ensure that our vehicles are in constant circulation, and only occupying fixed space for a limited amount of time. As the City of Columbus continues to grow, we hope to come back to these areas and offer a sustainable transportation solution. In the meantime, we will be exploring the possibility of adding designated parking spaces outside the new Home Area, and will be in touch with any updates.
More information can be found online at Columbus.car2go.com.
For ongoing discussion and updates on car2go, CLICK HERE to visit our Messageboard.
