“Innovative urban mobility solutions like car2go offer a way to help meet the challenges of urban congestion, reducing carbon emissions and improving quality of life,” said Gérard Collomb, Mayor of Lyon and President of ”‘Grand Lyon”. “Following the actions we initiated in 2005 with Velo’v, the first self-service bike sharing system, Lyon is innovating again with car2go, a new approach to car sharing which is complementary to other initiatives enabling our residents to move around town. Choosing Lyon, Europcar and Daimler strengthen the role of our city being one of the European leaders in terms of sustainable mobility.”
“We are excited to make our French debut in a city which is well-known for its innovation in the sector of urban transportation,” said Marcus Spickermann, Chief Financial Officer of the car2go Group. “More than 60.000 customers worldwide are using car2go in their daily lives, and we are convinced that car2go is a perfect fit for Lyon residents too.”
The car2go vehicles can be rented and returned within an operating area of 44 square kilometres covering the Lyon city centre. Members can find car2go vehicles spontaneously on the street, via the internet at www.car2go.com, and with the help of several smartphone applications. The vehicle selected can be unlocked using a personal membership card. At the end of the trip, car2go drivers do not have to bring the car2go back to where the trip started. They can simply leave the car at their destination - at any public parking space and at all Lyon carsharing-stations inside the car2go business area. Parking fees are included in the per-minute rental fee at no additional cost.
Lyon residents can register at www.car2go.com, and at the new car2go shop at Le Terra Mundi – 2 place de Francfort in Lyon. Until February 11th, 2012, Lyon residents can benefit from the special launch discount and save more than 10 Euro by only paying 4,90 Euro registration fee and receiving 60 free driving minutes. For members who register after February 11th, 2012, there will be a one-time registration fee of 14,90 Euro.
Customers pay only for the actual time they use the vehicle, by the minute, with discounted rates for hourly and daily use. The rental prices in Lyon are 0,29 Euro per driving minute, 12,90 Euro per hour and 39 Euro per day (24 hours). During stopovers, which can be used for example while shopping, a special parking rate of 0,09 Euro per minute will be calculated. Fuel, insurance, taxes and parking costs are fully included in the price that furthermore includes mileage up to 20 kilometres. Additional kilometres will cost 0,29 Euro each. Experience shows that the average range of a car2go rental is between 5 and 10 kilometres so the extra mileage costs are only relevant for those members who wish to leave the city and come back.
“The 2010 Europcar’s Transportation and Mobility Observatory showed that 47% of European urban drivers are considering giving up their cars and 61% of them consider that cars available in self service are an attractive mobility option. car2go will provide Lyon people with a fully-flexible service, combined with short term car rental services for a fully comprehensive mobility solution” said Philippe Guillemot, CEO of Europcar Groupe.
Thanks to a cooperation between car2go and the bikesharing service Vélo’v, Vélo’v customers will benefit from the reduced car2go registration fee of 9,90 Euro including 30 free driving minutes at any time.
car2go has already been successfully launched in seven cities: in Ulm and Hamburg (Germany), in Amsterdam (Netherlands), in Vienna (Austria), in Austin and San Diego (USA), and in Vancouver (Canada). The German city of Düsseldorf is going to follow soon – Lyon is the first home of car2go in France. A total of more than 2.000 car2go vehicles are currently on the road and more than 60.000 members have registered for the service worldwide.
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