car2go

My first experience with car2go was great. I signed up for $ 5 at one of their stands at my job. Very easy to use and a plethora of vehicles in my route to work. I will be using this service again.

I have used the lovely blue cars for over a year and at that time they were only in Minneapolis. Now they’re in both which makes so much sense because I lived in Saint Paul and worked in Minneapolis.
I have gotten a variety of free minutes because of network outages where you cannot sign in to use the car because s connection is not established. If you report a ticket someone left in the car or go to one of many festivals in the TC area, they’ll also award you free minutes.
I love the fact that I can reserve one of these and then head out, and the great thing is not having to park in specific locations like other car sharing programs. They are not so great in the winter due to their lightweight material but if you drive regularly in MN winter then you should be fine. The nice thing is these cars are small so quick maneuvers to the side are easy.
I’ve used car2go in Austin Texas and it was awesome! It’s great you can use your membership anywhere in the USA. The only downside are the driver insurance fee they added a few months ago. It’s charged every time you rent, but I’d rather pay a flat fee.
I give it 4 stars because of recent network connection issues where I wasn’t able to rent a car three separate times. They use a nationwide and I believe worldwide network system, so if something happens in Germany where it’s based then it’s not usable anywhere.

I tried car2go hoping that it would be an improvement to taking Ubers or Lyfts every now and then. Sadly I was mistaken.
After getting hit with some expensive charges (never ever drive a car2go during rush hour… you will pay twice as much as an über), I will no longer be using car2go as much.
If you are going to actually use car2go, just remember to factor in tax and the 1.00 driving fee literally everytime you drive. That max charge of 14.99 is really 18.99 for a 30 minute ride. Do your homework first! Especially since there’s that 30 dollar sign up fee.

Car2Go is by far the best on the spot transportation I’ve done before. literally log in (or swipe your card) and away you go. Yes there is limited room, and yeah its not a McClaren but its convenient and its stylin!

I try to take public transportation as much as possible, but there are times when the Metro system can’t get you where you need to be in the timeframe you have to get there. That’s where Car2Go shines. They provide an inexpensive network of ‘grab and go’ Smart cars throughout the Twin Cities. You rent each car on a pay-​per-​use basis. No monthly subscription fees. The cost of the rental includes insurance, parking and fuel.
Driving a Car2Go Smart car in the Twin Cities is like driving the underpowered gokart on an amusement park track. Poor pickup and startup from a stop. Jerky, manual braking. It’s not as fun as you’d like it to be, but it gets you from one point to another. Vehicles seat two and include GPS. 30 minutes of errands via Car2Go ran a little over $ 12 all in – and I was able to park the car within a few blocks of home because I live within the ‘drop zone’ where vehicles need to be left.
You sign up for Car2Go online with a credit card and driver’s license. There is a registration fee, but with a few minutes of searching online, you’re likely to find a promo code that allows you to sign up for free. Applications are approved in 48 hours. The smart phone app for Car2Go makes it possible for you to locate, reserve and use cars as soon as your Car2Go account is active. No smartphone? You’ll have to wait 10 days or so until you receive a pass card to unlock/​use vehicles.
Each time you use a car, you complete a survey of the car’s condition, cleanliness and fuel level. If the fuel is low, you can earn free miles by filling it using their own payment.
Car2Go is a no-​frills service, which is OK since the frills cost more.

I think before anyone writes a review of any transportation service they should all watch Lewis C.K.‘s commentary on Flying and people complaining about flight delays, when they should be happy they get to experience the magic of flying through the air at a fast speed. This really puts things into perspective.

Okay, after you are done being entertained by Lewis C.K., lets consider for a moment that Car2Go is a car share service and it is working to provide a benefit to people in exchange for a fee. There will be issues with CarShare programs similar to the fact that there are issues with Taxis, buses, and sometimes even your own car. Car2Go doesn’t work perfectly, but it is a nice play to have in your playbook of transportation methods. This works great for us because we are a one car family. We are helping the environment, and saving money!
I think that it is pretty self explanatory how to use the Car2Go but if you are confused Car2Go explains things nicely to you from the system on the dash. Their app on my phone works great too!
I have used Car2Go 3 times and I haven’t had any issues finding a car close by, but i have had issues trying to find a place to park. If only there was a search function for available street parking!
Give it a try, it probably won’t be better than your car, but it is a good and generally cheaper alternative to a taxi!

This service is my favorite thing. I was thinking about getting a car of my own, but didn’t want to pay all the expenses and have all the responsibility. This service is perfect. There’s always 1 or more within a block or two of my apartment, which is how far I would have to walk even if I had my own car because there’s not enough parking on my street. I drive the cars to work a couple mornings a week, and to the grocery store once every week or two, and it costs me less each month than the insurance alone would if I had my own car. This morning I went to take a car to work but it was stuck in the snow. I tried for 10 minutes to get it out and then I gave up. If it had been my own car, I would have been stuck with it. It would have been my responsibility to dig it out of the snow, which would have made me late for work. Instead I abandoned the effort and just walked 2 blocks away and hopped in another one. I emailed the company and they emailed back that they would send someone to dig it out, and they gave me 20 minutes of free driving time to make up for it. When your own car gets stuck in the snow you don’t have a customer service guy apologize and comp you for it. With my own car this would have been an awful morning, but instead it was completely stress free. This company is a great idea and they have great customer service practices to back it up.

I used car2go three times, or at least tried to. The first two times worked. Car2go was my final fallback if it was too early in the morning to catch the bus and too unpleasant to bicycle. The third time, the car was not there. I walked a block or two in every direction and it simply wasn’t where their map showed it (I was right on top of it according to their map.) I had to call in sick, losing not only nine hours of work, but also the holiday pay we lose if we call sick. I can’t afford to do that again when car2go’s system doesn’t know where their cars are. Unfortunately, from now on, I’ll have to ride no matter how nasty the weather. The concept is good, but the 20 free minutes they offered me doesn’t make up for 17 hours of lost pay. It’s conceivable I’ll use it again if I don’t need to be somewhere in a timely fashion, but you can’t rely on it.

I’m giving this five stars and here’s why.
1. To make up for the idiot that’s bitching about the cars parked in front of his house and not the consumer experience. Car2go pays the city for parking. If he has problems, he should contact the city and not cheat Unilocal.
2. Other reviewers who very much like this service have been chintzy about their rating. Go figure.
3. Car2go delivers on their promise, plain and simple.
4. If you don’t like small cars and use this service, why complain about the cars being small? That’s what they are. If you’re a guy and like big breasts, do you complain about small ones on the one you’re dating? Have some class, geez :D
4. The car is quite zippy for what it is. Yes, it’s different but it does get around quite well in the city.
5. I use this for short hops and works great. It’s not a good idea for lots of freeway driving, IMHO.
6. Consider a hybrid approach with light rail and bike sharing along with this.
7. Here’s a tip. If you arrive at the same time as someone else, consider having the class to offer a ride to the next nearest one.
8. The following are recent rides.
Destination address:
E River Pky, 55 414 Minneapolis
Trip end:
8÷6÷2014 08:50 AM CDT
Total distance:
2 mi
Trip time: 7 min Net $ USD2.66 TAX $ USD0.58 Total $ USD3.24
Parking time: 0 min Net $ USD0.00 TAX $ USD0.00 Total $ USD0.00
Destination address:
Oak St SE 654, 55 414 Minneapolis
Trip end:
8÷4÷2014 08:54 AM CDT
Total distance:
1 mi
Trip time: 4 min Net $ USD1.52 TAX $ USD0.33 Total $ USD1.85
Parking time: 0 min Net $ USD0.00 TAX $ USD0.00 Total $ USD0.00
Destination address:
Cleveland Ave N 525, 55 114 St Paul
Trip end:
7÷29÷2014 05:38 PM CDT
Total distance:
2 mi
Trip time: 8 min Net $ USD3.04 TAX $ USD0.67 Total $ USD3.71
Parking time: 0 min Net $ USD0.00 TAX $ USD0.00 Total $ USD0.00
Destination address:
SE 25^th Ave 373, 55 414 Minneapolis
Trip end:
7÷27÷2014 09:59 AM CDT
Total distance:
1 mi
Trip time: 6 min Net $ USD4.56 TAX $ USD1.00 Total $ USD5.56
Parking time: 6 min Net $ USD0.00 TAX $ USD0.00 Total $ USD0.00
9. As you can see in the last one, my parking time took 6 minutes. It was my first ride and duh, I didn’t use my card to end the session with the card reader. I didn’t understand what was going on and called customer service on the spot. They told me what to do and gave me 15 minutes credit. I’ll stay with Car2go and not with some of these reviewers.

I live south of downtown and find car2go to be a very good value. I often have plans to meet people downtown, North Loop or Uptown for dinner, drinks or happy hours and Car2Go offers a nice option to get to those places without having to pay for parking. It is a great system for using in combination with other forms of non-​car owner transportation like biking, walking or Metro Transit. I just used up my free minutes, so it is hard to tell exactly what the cost savings are between this and a cab, but it is certainly better than driving my own care and paying for parking. Most recent use was from Target Field back to my house. Normally an $ 8-​$ 10 cab fare or $ 10-​$ 20 parking fee (I am also a car owner). The car2go cost was about $ 5.
Best Uses:
— Short trips to drive where you know you will have to pay for parking. There is no parking charge at Minneapolis meters. Be aware though that if you can’t find a street parking spot in a busy area, you will have to park somewhere else farther away.
— Trips to meet friends at a bar or event where you don’t want to drive home after. In this case you can take the car to go (save money versus a cab) and then take whatever form is available afterward (friends, public transit, cab etc.)
Concerns:
— The scan-​in on the car window to use your account doesn’t always light up. In the dark this can be frustrating since you can’t see what the card reader is saying. It eventually lights up, but I have noticed this is inconsistent.
— Parking in busy areas. This hasn’t yet happened to me, but be aware that if you are planning to drive to someplace that gets busy (Uptown, the Lakes, Downtown during a popular event) be aware that you will have to find street parking for the car. If there isn’t any you could find yourself driving (racking up charges) and/​or walking a long way from your intended destination. In this case a cab cost might be a better investment.
— Damage/​Liability. My first time using a car2go I went through the in-​car dash prompts that ask you to rate the interior and exterior. I didn’t even think about this before using it. I got out to look at the exterior of the car quickly and noticed a big scratch/​bump on the passenger side. Because I wanted to report that damage it forced the dash to connect to customer service where no one answered (something that seems to be an issue with non 9 – 5 use). In the end this probably ate up 5 minutes of my time using the car. My advice is to try and do your damage assessment of the outside before you sign into your car. It will save you minutes so you can get your trip underway right away.
— The cars don’t have much power and like any car you have never used before, they take a little while to get used to. For me, figuring out how to use things like the wipers, heat/​air conditioning, radio volume, mirrors and windows all took a little while. Once you use it a few times though it gets much easier.
Take note about other user’s issues with taking the cars in the winter. I never have yet, but they are valid concerns and should be addressed by the company.

I have used car2go twice. When I originally signed up I was comparing car2go with hour car. I get a free membership to hour car as I work at the U, but didn’t see a membership fee with car2go so I signed up (as you can leave the cars pretty much wherever).
I was surprised to see over a $ 40 fee on my invoice. I also used the service twice and didn’t pay that much less than I would have for a cab (about $ 5 difference). They also don’t have any snow scrapers in the cars and they don’t warm up quickly, so kind of suck for minnesota. I spent the first 5 minutes scraping the snow off the windshield (which I had to pay for).
My advice? Just take a cab or the bus. This is NOT worth the money. With the start up fee I actually paid MORE to use this service than if I had taken a cab and walked farther to the car than if I had taken the bus. It was an expensive lesson.

THUMBS DOWN Car2go!

Have had some great experiences with this convenient, on street car sharing service — there is usually a car within 3 blocks of me at any time, and no reservations are required. However, during a severe cold snap, I discovered that three area cars had dead batteries. I wasted well over an hour walking from car to car to car to car, only to find yet another that wouldn’t start. These vehicles are like sardine cans, and when users crank up the heaters during a short winter drive, I think it really drains the batteries. The radio and GPS are also always running during your drive, which I’m sure doesn’t help matters. The cars themselves have low ground clearance and aren’t real great in the snow. Also, although each was originally equipped with an ice scraper, I have frequently found the scraper has gone missing, and now bring a small one with me. If you plan on using this as primary transportation during the winter months, I’d recommend having a backup membership with one of the other area car sharing services.

As others, I had the opportunity to sign up for free thanks to car2go and Black Friday! This coming at the opportune time where I was to decide whether to fix up my own car, or rely on public transit. I chose the latter.
I have used car2go about 15 times in the last two months and never had to walk more than 5 blocks for a car. At 38 cents per minute with parking, gas and insurance included (for me) it is cheaper and more efficient than Metro Transit. Other than the extreme cold spell where I also had 3 cars not work for me, I can’t say a bad thing about the program.
Keep in mind, this is NOT your car. You can’t park it and expect to get it back when you are done. It is better for short trips. They are Smart cars, so they are not good in the cold or snow nor on ice. Know what you are getting. Don’t expect this to be your only form of transportation or you will be disappointed. (I carry my car2go pass and my Metro Transit Go Pass at all times.)
Although I had 3 cars that wouldn’t start in the cold (including one that was charging me and wouldn’t let me scan out), I called customer service and was helped immediately. They removed the charges and sent someone to fix/​get the non-​working cars. For my troubles, they sent me free minutes of drive time (BTW, there are tons of opportunities to get free minutes; getting gas, moving during snow emergency, Facebook posts, etc.). I have actually driven more on free minutes than paid.
I still can’t say a bad thing about this program. Why 4 stars instead of 5? You still need a backup plan for transportation. However, I always go2 (see what I did there) the car2go first and rarely have to fall back on my second choice of transportation.
My only fear with the program is that now that you know how great it is, you are going to take my cars…

Taken 15 – 20 trips thus far and love the service. Works for us Uptown dwellers with one car and two kids. Always one within 3 blocks of the house and we take it to/​from downtown most often. Simple to use, easy to park given the rules and never had an issue with overcharge, etc. One time the car wasn’t where they said it was but I can live with that error rate. Handy app on the phone, and the reservations system means you know it’ll be there when you get there. Keep up the good work.

I don’t know about you, but I really *really* want car2go to succeed in Minneapolis. I am a city dweller, I own a car but typically bus, bike, or scooter to work and around town. Sometimes I find myself looking for a short-​trip solution that won’t leave me sweaty on my bike, waiting for a bus transfer, or grappling with parking meter time limits. Car2go seems like a great option, and I signed up for my membership at the Minneapolis Bike Tour for free this year.
I have had mixed experiences using car2go so far. The short story is: car2go is awesome if. .. you’re not in a hurry, you have some flexible time before /​after your trip as a time-​cushion, you’re looking for a convenient way to get from A to B and don’t want to pay for parking. Car2go is NOT a great solution if you’re looking for reliability, a primary transportation solution, human customer service, or are on a timeline.
My first car2go ride was awesome. It was simple, it was a breeze, and it was convenient: I took the bus to the Vikings/​Packers game and found a car2go a few blocks away from the Metrodome! It would have cost $ 30 to park a car where I found the Smartcar waiting, for sure. My third car2go ride was fluid, there was one waiting down the street, and I was in and out in no time. When this service works, it works well. I think that 38 cents per minute is reasonable, and generally cars are readily available within a half-​mile walk from wherever you are in south Minneapolis, often much closer.
Now, let’s talk about my second ride. There were many c2g available in my vicinity and I was able to reserve the nearest on my iPhone app. But when I got there, my membership didn’t register. Then the app appeared to be broken. I called customer service while waiting outside the car and was on hold for over 10 minutes… I called back and then the line appeared to be disconnected. I sent an email to the Minneapolis office, but eventually I gave up and called a friend for a ride. It turns out they had a nationwide system failure and I along with many other people nationwide were stranded.
The next day car2go was very apologetic and credited me some bonus minutes of use, which I appreciate. The next-​day /​local customer service is great. The real-​time ASAP customer service, however, is not. After my second ride mishap I did a little research, and my experience wasn’t an isolated incident… check out the car2go Unilocal reviews in Portland, for example. Getting a human to help you troubleshoot problems seems difficult from what I’ve read (and in my one-​time experience).
This is a great idea for Minneapolis and a great car-​sharing idea… however, it seems like there are a few reliability kinks that need to be worked out. I will use car2go if I can afford the time luxury of getting stranded. I’m curious how the program plans to adapt to Minnesota winters… will they have snow shovels available when the plows bury parked cars? If it takes 10 minutes for the windshield to defrost, will you be charged that time? How about the time you spend shoveling the car out? We’ll see! In the meantime I’ll keep using the service once in awhile and I hope they work out the kinks!