CarSharing – mobility for the future

By Graham Lightfoot

Providing quick and easy access to a car without the hassle of owning one!

CarSharing is coming to Ireland this summer under the brand name GoCar – cambio Ireland. Cork City will be the first location starting in July. Plans for Dublin starting in early 2009 are underway. It will be operated by Mendes GoCar Limited, specialists in sustainable transport operations, research and consultancy, based in Cloughjordan, Co. Tipperary.

Support has been forthcoming from Cork City Council, which has agreed to reserve three cars for use by their employees to use on council business. The City Council has also agreed to provide designated on-street parking bays for the CarSharing cars and to promote the service as part of its Integrated Transport System.

Mendes GoCar Limited has gone into partnership with cambio CarSharing, which has nearly 20 years experience of operating CarSharing and supports and operates CarSharing in cities in NW Germany and throughout Belgium.

What is Carsharing?
CarSharing has been operating successfully in various parts of Europe for about 20 years, in Britain and North America for about 10 years. It provides quick and easy access to a car without the hassle of owning one. Customers can make use of vehicles as and when they need them. All they have to do is:
Book – for as little as an hour at a time, using the internet or by phone. The booking can be made well ahead of time or with a few minutes’ notice.
Unlock – cars are located at designated parking bays in the local area and accessed using a smartcard.
Drive – once inside the driver enters a PIN and drives away, returning the car at the end of the journey.
Pay – Pay-as-you-go charges include fuel and maintenance costs.

Initial fleet
The initial fleet consists of 8 low emission diesel powered vehicles; 6 Ford Fiestas, one Ford Focus Zetec and one Ford Transit Connect (small van). They will be based at four locations in the City Centre; near to City Hall, at UCC, at Clark’s Bridge and at Lancaster Gate.

How much will it cost?
There are three types of tariff; Thrifty & Nifty for the private customer and Busy for the business customer.

For more information: Call 1890 446 227 E-mail info@gocar.ie Go to www.gocar.ie