Sometimes, a Chicagoan needs to drive from Point A to Point B.
Sometimes, for whatever reason — cargo, detours, an aversion to riding in cars with strangers — an Uber won’t suffice.
And for those times, there’s Car2Go, the “point-to-point” car-sharing service that just launched in Chicago.
Unlike the rental giants, Car2Go’s turnkey vehicles are scattered throughout the city, accessible via a few taps of your smartphone. You pay a one-time $5 fee to initiate your membership (which also nets you a $10 credit) and then rent cars on a per-minute (starts at 29 cents) or per-day (starts at $79) basis.
We know what you’re thinking: “Oh, you mean Zipcar.”
But aside from the fact that Car2Go doesn’t charge monthly or annual membership fees, they have one very clear leg up on their car-sharing brethren: you can park anywhere (non-metered) within Car2Go’s extensive “home area.” They also lay claim to a number of reserved spots throughout the city, which you can locate through the app.
Admittedly, that “home area” is lacking a bit at launch. As reported by Reader, the company wasn’t able to secure the blessing of some of the city’s aldermen (especially on the South Side), but hopes to remedy that in the coming months.
As for your rental options? Car2Go hangs their hat on three models and three models only: smart Cars or your choice of two Mercedes — the CLA sedan or the GLA crossover. Pricing, of course, varies by model, but you should expect to pay a fee on par with what you’d find at Hertz or Enterprise.
If you’re heading out of the city, per-day rentals allow for you to travel up to 150 miles without incurring additional fees, and you can cancel your rental up to 15 minutes before the scheduled start time.
And when you’re done? Say it with us: Park it anywhere.
Ready to get started? Sign up here. You can also find more info on Car2Go Chicago here.
Main image and map via Car2Go
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