Modo

I have been looking at joining a car share program for a while now and was looking at all my options. I decided to give Modo a call because they have a spot right beside my house. I called there customer service line, if that’s what they want to call it, with some general questions to ask and was greeted by an unfriendly voice. I ask my first question to the guy and he answered me back with the shortest of answer in a tone of voice like I was stupid. Right then I knew this company wasn’t for me. So I just said have a nice day goodbye and hung up.

Not sure why there is a photo of a car2go in the photo beside Modo here (?) My family has been a Modo member since 2010 and it has been an awesome ride. So many different cars for different purposes, and the old faithful ones near our home. Because it’s a co-​operative you can even go to the AGM and vote (or run for the board) and influence the decision-​making. Now with the other services like car2go and Evo, it’s really possible, when not riding a bike, walking or using transit, to get a vehicle when you need and for a multitude of purposes, all while being conscious of your environmental footprint. Having to pay per use really reinforces this sense of the impact (the more you drive the more you pay and of course the reverse being true as well). Free yourself from car ownership and join the fun!

I had a uniquely bizarre and awful experience with Modo and likely one of the worst customer service experiences with any company, in general. In fact, I am truly puzzled by what appeared to be hubris, arrogance and downright ham-​fisted business sense that was demonstrated by the Modo management
As for my awful experience, a garage access card had gone missing after one of my bookings. It was revealed by Modo that this card had been lost by customers on several occasions and that Modo was being penalized by the parking company. From what I could tell, the car in question had gone unused (after the fact) for several weeks, according to the booking system and I can only surmise that the parking company refused to provide a replacement card (and hence the car could not be removed by customers, from the garage).
When I was notified by modo, I was fairly certain that I did not lose the card, however, I made a best effort to find it, in the event that I was wrong. A week later, I received a terse message from the ‘Loyalty Manager’ that I would be charged $ 200 for the card and that this is a cost that Modo can’t absorb!
I followed up via phone to have what amounted to a circuitous discussion with the Modo managers, who were disgruntled, dismissive, condescending and down right stubborn. Nevermind the fact that these cards were confirmed by the parking company to cost only $ 25 to replace. Also, nevermind the fact that the modo price list charges $ 25 for other lost cards. Modo seemed to have a bone to pick and were deadset on charging me $ 200 to cover the card *and* staff time.
I made the point that I was aware that these cards are in fact not worth $ 200 and that if I am charged, this amount, I would simply take my business elsewhere (several hundred dollars per month). Unbelievably, the Fleet Director pointed out — our margins are so low, we actually don’t make much money off you and he counter offered by inviting me to leave and *not* pay the $ 200! The take home, is that I’m not the kind of customer that Modo wants and I guess in this case, Modo wants a customer who is willing to pay for their mismanagement.
In any case I am no longer a Modo customer and as much as I would prefer to support small local business, I am happy to send my money elsewhere.
It is hard to see how Modo will be able to compete in such a competitive market, with the likes of better managed and technically superior alternatives such as Evo and ZipCar.

Ok, my original review netted them a single star because of my first impression from 2 contacts. I joined and aside from finding one not so clean vehicle, all has been good through a dozen or more uses.

I love modo!!! Great customer service, lots of cars to choose from, many locations, and I’m not driving a tin can around the city (car2go). Loves them and very happy customer.

I love Modo! My quality of life has definitely gone up since I started carsharing. So much better than owning. So great to have an option when the Skytrain or bike won’t work. I definitely get to the beach and mountains a lot more these days. #LetsModo

I used to love Modo — I was a member for over five years. I love being able to access cars when I need to, without the hassle and expense of owning and maintaining one on my own. The cars are conveniently located, and the staff were always helpful and friendly … until they decided not to be.
The last time I returned a Modo car, I parked it a few feet from its «designated» spot on the street because another car was parked in the way (I must stress: this was a street location, not a parking stall). A Modo staff member phoned the next day and treated me with the most condescension I’ve ever received from someone in the customer service industry: basically, she yelled at me and treated me like a 2-​year-​old for parking the car a few feet from where it was supposed to be (again, I stress that this was a street location, and the car was on the correct block, just not in the EXACT spot it was supposed to be). In contrast to the friendly service I’d always gotten in the past, this staff member was acting like a nasty elementary school teacher (and treating me like an elementary school child). I wrote a complaint letter about my experience (even sending a copy to the Executive Director), but got zero response. I guess that’s just their policy on how to treat members if cars are parked a couple of feet from their exact spot. Nice.
It’s like the first time you get in a fight with your awesome new boyfriend, and sadly discover that in reality he’s an abusive jerk when things don’t go 100% his way.
So, I did what anyone with a shred of self-​esteem would do in the situation: I dumped Modo. I’m now with Zipcar, and couldn’t be happier with the switch. More dog-​friendly cars! No more paying a per-​kilometer charge! And best of all, their staff don’t treat me like garbage.

Just recently heard about Modo and joined it recently. I should have join it a few years back. The first car sharing company I heard of is zipcar but after checking they did not have too many cars closed to where I live I did not join. Also checked with car2go but the same problem appeared. Modo has lots of cars to choose from and their cars are all around the city. Their staff are super friendly and able to communicate nicely and effectively. I have never had such a good experience with a local business. Everything is top notch.

It was a little emotional giving up our faithful but ailing Civic last fall. We traded her in for a nice fat credit with Modo (via the Scrap-​It program), and never looked back. A couple of phone calls and one visit to the Modo office in downtown Vancouver, and boom, you’ve got a key to a whole fleet.
I find the booking system just dead-​easy to use, although it does take some getting used to planning how long you’ll require the car for. However, if I have underestimated, it is easy to find out on-​the-​go if I can extend and add time, either through the mobile website or by calling customer service.
There are only a few cars in my area yet, but they’re all nice and new, mostly 2012 or 2013 Toyotas. Other members here seem to leave the cars clean, and the cars are so smooth to drive compared to my quirky old gal. Plus there’s a raft of benefits, like parking in resident-​only zones in Vancouver (yay, I’m special) and not having to pay tolls on the Port Mann or Golden Ears. I love not having to monitor gas prices or renewing insurance, since it’s all included in flat hourly rates (I’m on the casual plan). You can go up to 150 km in a day before per-​km charges kick in, which just about gets me to Bellingham and back. UPDATE: As of April 2014, 200 km is included. Yeah!
Customer service has been great whenever I’ve needed to call — they answer quickly and the voice at the other end of the line has been, without fail, friendly and efficient in solving the problem. I like that Modo is local, too.
The only downside right now is that the nearest cars are a bit of a walk from my front door, but I am hopeful that as more people in this fast-​developing area discover carsharing, I’ll get more vehicles in my ‘hood.

My original review gave them two stars. The value and convenience are right up there with the 5 star reviews. We have been members for 6 years, and the customer service has gotten immensely better but could still use some work. A couple of their staff just cannot seem to develop customer service skills, but at least they can offer options when their service or other members make using modo difficult. They have recently expanded to Victoria, YAY! I will update again in the future, and I hope to give MODO 5 stars.

Not too long ago, I was looking wistfully at the shiny fleet of Car Modo vehicles in a parking lot while waiting for someone to return the Zipcar I had reserved. Didn’t end up getting to my appointment that day, as there was no sign of the driver 45 minutes past my start time and Zipcar didn’t have any available cars nearby. So, started my search for something more reliable.
Didn’t go with Modo in the past because it didn’t make sense for me — the $ 500 up front required, how they charged you by km, etc., but I’ve found out that they’ve since created Casual memberships.
Casual membership is a lot like Zipcar membership — a small fee up front, charging by the hour, free gas, but there are a few key differences:
Pluses for Modo:
Modo charges a flat rate of $ 7.50/hr for any vehicle of theirs, whereas rates for Zipcars start at $ 8/​hr for their clunkier cars and go steadily on up for their higher-​end vehicles.
Modo also has a larger number of cars — there are several locations within a block’s radius from where I live, whereas Zipcar eliminated their closest cars from me some time ago and now I need to hoof it 4 – 5 blocks to get to one of them.
Negatives for Modo:
They only offer the first 150 km free, as opposed to 200 km for Zipcar. Still, any more than 150 km, it would make more sense to rent a car from Enterprise Car Rentals (I love them), anyway.
Zipcar allows you to scan in 15 minutes before your reservation start time, Modo doesn’t.
Finally, like Zipcar, Modo doesn’t allow users to leave their car at a location other than the original one at the end of a reservation a la Car2Go. Maybe they’ll change this, too?

Just had my day go from ok to bah.
First off I have to say I’m going into my second year as a member and prior to today had no problems booking online or via phone. However today while on the phone with them and while using their limited mobile website version all that oils go wrong did.
Tonight I was looking for a car to zip over to boundary from main to take my expensive coffee machine in for servicing. All I wanted was a nearby car-​what make or model isn’t something this iPhone gadget gal notices and of course I relied on my call taker to direct me. My mistake!
Anyhow at the time all I saw was an available grey car not far away so I sought to find it first then reserve. The details: The grey Modo car in lot #51 I was walked to on the phone by a live person at their company apparently was NOT the same «grey» vehicle #151 that I booked and now they’re giving me the growlies because of the confusion. ??? Um so I’m new to the area and your car rental app showed two dots — one green and one blue on the physical map. How am I to know that the easypark lot I had you direct me to isnt for the car I thought it was (um green or blue!?) and why didn’t you say no cars there were available when I said I was going to book it once I located it since the fact it was where it was wasnt obvious or posted anywhere. And in regards to locating this car whih proves a pain to find, saying on your website that its «behind 1 kingsway in lot #51» isnt the same as saying «its in an easypark lot behind or under the library down and around the corner on the left to where it’s parked in space #51»?? Expecting that a person who doesn’t know the area would successfully translate this is a joke-​did I mention I was speaking with a live person the whole time?
What the heck is a Guelph car?! Apparently I was told that I booked it (not the car my fob unlocked). Um why did my fob unlock the wrong car?
I’ve never had a more frustrating experience. Ok you said I’m in the wrong although I find it pretty ironic with your help I did wrong. Of course I’m liable and youre gonna fine me. :(But even as I agree that a mistake happened — not arguing that — your call taker could TRY to be more understanding. I wonder if it’s time to look at a competitor.

I joined Modo last year after spending too much on taxis. What can I say that hasn’t been already said? The prices are great, especially for a student. I love the staff, they are so, so helpful and friendly and prompt. It took me a little while to get used to fobbing out but then that is just me being forgetful. I have never had problems with availability, but because I book a car one to two weeks in advance I can’t say I’ve had experience with last minute bookings. The cars have always been tidy. Recommended!

Kudos to Modo for making this system work. I can’t imagine the amount of hard work it took to develop a car-​sharing network from nothing — the legal implications alone are an astounding accomplishment!
I’ve been a member of CAN/​Modo since 2008. My total for the last 3 years is approximately $ 2100 and I use the cars 2 – 3 times a week (sometimes less). You can’t run a car for that in a year. The cars are usually in great shape and are clean. If they’re not, one call to head office will resolve the issue. Any issues I’ve had have been the result of inconsiderate members. The Modo staff are always friendly and helpful. There are 60+ cars in the West End alone; I’ve rarely had trouble booking a car. As well, there are cargo vans and trucks when you need specific vehicles. (I’m still dreaming that motorbikes will be next ;)
The cost of booking a car is far cheaper than owning but expensive enough (that’s right!) to cause one to consider when they actually need to drive. Not only does Modo accord with my environmental philosophy, but it resonates with my social outlook as well. Zip cars and Car-​2-​Go are «For Profit» companies (the latter owned by Daimler-​Chrysler). Modo remains, I believe, a legal cooperative (confirmation anybody?) with profits going back into the system. Oddly enough, this makes me feel a little more connected to my community.
A Cautionary Tale: despite past conflicts in the executive, I hope that Modo continues with its community focus and endeavours to inoculate itself from the arrogance that often breeds in highly-​successful organizations.

I have been a happy customer for a number of years now. In fact I just returned a car tonight. The staff really try hard to make the system work for their members. They are always friendly and available. Even when you call them at 5:30 in the morning.
My only complaint would be that sometimes the maintenance of the cleanliness of the cars isn’t always top notch. However, this is as much a fault of the coop members as the coop staff.
My wish is that the city will eventually give the public added benefits to becoming car coop members. Such as free parking at meters. One can always dream.

Still think Modo is awesome BUT there have been changes in the past few years to avoid people taking advantage of the system (i.e., not returning the car on time or taking a car when they aren’t signed up for it etc) so be forewarned that if you think you might be late… CALL THEM! They will add another 30min for the usual rate (a few dollars). Because if you don’t, you are going to get dinged!
Same goes for fob-​ing out… if you return the car but do not fob-out…they will consider it not returned and charge your account.
All these additional fees may seem excessive to some but really it’s just to ensure people follow the rules so that all members have access to a car, with gas, when they signed up for it. Coming from someone who several times in the past got to a car spot with no car… these changes are a good thing.

I have found in the past year the car co-​op has established some punitive policies that make using their cars quite expensive. I once forgot to fob out after I used the car (this was when the car keys were still in a lock-​box and leaving the door open didn’t allow anyone to drive away with the car) and was charged $ 35 in fines. No warnings, just a flat out fine if you forget to fob-​out.
A few days ago, I returned a car a couple of minutes late — well, that’s according to me. According o the co-​op, I fobbed-​out 9 minutes late, and was charged a $ 25 late fee. No one was waiting for the car, and once again no warnings for a one-​time late return. I phoned the co-​op to inquire, and they say they have a no tolerance policy.
I use the co-​op cars a couple of times a month nowadays, and with the rising cost of driving and the $ 3 admin fee on each of my bookings, I am finding it’s too expensive to be part of the co-​op and I might as well take cabs or rent cars when I need to. A lot of the cars in my neighbourhood (Mt. Pleasant) are quite old and need some serious cleaning. There are a few cars that reek of wet dogs, or the car is 8 – 9 years old and smells of old car. I’m definitely annoyed that, for a co-​op, in which members are shareholders, they don’t have a grace system in place and fine you exuberant fees for occasional mistakes.

I switched from Zipcar to the Car Co-​op a month and a half ago, and I am so glad I did! Car Co-​op is so much easier to deal with! When you call, you speak to a person immediately or face a very brief phone tree. If you email, you get an email back from a real human, same day. Excellent and pleasant customer service.
In my location, the selection of Car Co-​op cars is much better than Zipcar, but that’s just because I live by city hall, which uses Car Co-​op cars as city cars. So, you need to do your homework and figure out what the coverage is like in your neighborhood.
Car Co-​op is a little cheaper than Zipcar for a quick 3 hour run in town to Ikea and Costco, and much cheaper for longer trips.
For example, I took a Mini Cooper out to Tofino for three weekend days, a trip of about 560 km. It was $ 215 for Car Co-​op, would have been closer to $ 300 with Zipcar.
However, Car Co-​op themselves say that sometimes it’s cheaper to rent. They have some kind of discount relationship with Enterprise and Dollar/​Thrifty and they have a calculator on their website that shows when it’s cheaper to rent and when it’s cheaper to Car Co-​op.
Totally glad I made the switch, Car Co-​op is the way to go!

If you were still in college, the Cooperative Auto Network might be like the cool upperclassman friend you could go to for favors. «Oh, you need a ride this weekend? Hey, no problem!» Always gracious and never begrudging, CAN’s there for you when you need them. And I don’t know about your college friend, but CAN definitely isn’t just trying to get in your pants.
I’m still amazed by what a joy everyone at CAN is to deal with. They’re happy to transact business by email and messages are returned within hours; phone calls are answered quickly and the operators are friendly, helpful, and efficient; everything in the office seems to work exactly like it should. It’s refreshing.
And, cars: they’ve got ‘em. They’re not all brand shiny new (though some of them are!) but they’re in your neighborhood (– well, they’re in mine, at least) and ready to roll. They’ve got everything from Smarts and Minis for quick grocery jaunts to minivans and pickups for more serious Craigslist or IKEA furniture dealing kind of situations. Reserving a car could hardly be easier — just a few clicks on the website or a quick phone call and you can stroll over to the vehicle and drive off into the sunset, free from worries about insurance paperwork, maintenance, and parking space leases.
And, like how that friend of yours would let you jump the queue at the door or at the bar if they saw you across the room, there are other perks of CAN membership. You get discounts at a couple of «traditional» agencies for longer trips (Discount will waive the underage driver fee for CAN members, which is a *huge* deal if you’re under 25) and group rates on annual Translink passes, dental and extended health insurance, and more.
But how’s it compare to Zipcar?, you might wonder. For starters, they have different fee structures: Zipcar has an annual fee and a high per-​hour rate with mileage included, while CAN has a refundable one-​time deposit and a much lower per-​hour rate with additional mileage fees. CAN’s made more sense for me but YMMV (as it were). One important benefit that Zipcar has over CAN is that a Zipcar membership will work in any city where Zipcar operates — if you can drive in Vancouver, you can also hop in a car while you visit Seattle, SF, Boston, or wherever. CAN only lets you roam as far as Victoria, but if you’re okay with that you get to feel good about supporting your own local free-​range, organic car co-​op. I’ve also noticed that CAN has cars spread out better through Vancouver’s neighborhoods, while Zipcars tend to be clustered in parking lots owned by large operators.
Joining CAN was one of the best decisions I’ve made since moving to Vancouver — it’s rare that anything makes me want to evangelize this furiously, but well, here we are! I’m still grateful that my college friend was there to go on booze runs for me before I could buy my own, but finding the CAN community has helped ease the sting of graduation. ;)

I can’t believe no one has reviewed Coop Auto yet! Well, let me tell you, I’m a huge fan!
We joined in 2004, and never looked back. Living downtown, the Coop Auto is the ideal solution — no need to pay for insurance, gas, parking, BCAA member, maintenance… it’s all part and parcel of this great organisation!
We use cars to pick up friends from the airport, visit friends who *gasp* don’t live downtown, do shopping at the dreaded Ikea, and dine out in the burbs. It’s brilliant, because you can use the car for as little as an hour, or for as long as you need.
Everything is booked online. It’s local and non-​profit (unlike Zipcar, which is international and corporate), and as green as you can get while still utilising an internal combustion engine. They also have at least one Prius and a Mini (the latter of which I use for work-​related drives).
Ask me if you want more information! Several of my friends have already joined — and, the more people involved, the better it gets! (I’m also happy to be a referral!)