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Smart car2go, the pioneer of simple-to-use carsharing-schemes from Daimler and Europcar, expands its business area in London starting June 2013. In December 2012 car2go launched in two boroughs (Islington and Sutton), the service is now also available in large areas of Wimbledon, Raynes Park, Kingston, Richmond, South Lambeth, South Southwark and Croydon. In the new business area the 500 smart cars can be rented and parked in all legal and unrestricted free-parking areas without considering any fixed rental station. In Islington and Sutton the car2go vehicles can also use any metered or pay station spaces as well as any shared residential permit parking space. At the same time the car2go service in Newham will be suspended as a result of higher demands in other areas of the city.

“Many Londoners have already started to use this new on-demand way of travelling around the city,” said Stefan Mueller, CEO of car2go Europe GmbH. “Expanding our free-floating business area allows us to offer the car2go service to even more people.”

The idea behind car2go is simple – it’s a whole new way of getting around that’s easy to use, easy on the pocket, and easy on the environment. Once registered, car2go members can locate any available car through the car2go London website, by using the free app or just by walking up to an available car, touching the card reader on the windscreen, getting in and driving off.

car2go costs 35p per minute and is billed directly to the customer’s account. This rate always includes fuel, insurance, road tax, parking and maintenance. Customers don’t even have to return their car2go to the same parking bay from which it was collected – any unregulated parking space within the home area will do. And, of course, the cars can be driven anywhere any car can. The car2go can be kept as long as the customer wants, or just for a quick hop across town.

Every car2go vehicle in London is a smart mhd – an efficient, compact two-seater which emits just 98g/km of CO₂, and provides the convenience of automatic transmission, start-stop technology, GPS navigation and the comfort of air conditioning. The smart fortwo coupé is easy to drive due to its dinky dimensions, a dream to park, and super safe thanks to its tridion safety cell.

car2go service started in London in December 2012 and is now available in 19 cities worldwide. Early May 2013, Birmingham launched car2go as the second city in the UK. The company has more than 375,000 customers worldwide using more than 7,300 vehicles. Over nine million car2go rental transactions have been made to date, and this number rises continuously.

How It Works

As the world’s first-free floating carsharing service, car2go provides a new way of carsharing that is unique, particularly in these three areas:

By The Minute: Members pay only for the time they use the car, by the minute, with discounted rates for hourly and daily use. There is no minimum amount of time that a car can be used – whether a member needs a car for five minutes or an entire day – members simply get in and drive, for as long as they want without having to commit to a mandatory return time or location. Parking, fuel, maintenance and insurance are included at no additional cost, and there are no annual or monthly fees.

On Demand: Members can use the first available car2go they find, via a smart phone app, the car2go vehicle finder at car2go.com or by simply locating an available car2go on the street. There is no need to make a reservation in advance because members have unrestricted and unlimited access to car2go vehicles 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Free Floating: Members can pick up and drop off any car2go anywhere within the car2go Home Area − in any legal on-street parking space, including metered, non-metered and residential neighbourhood parking spaces. Members do not need to drive the car back to its original location or commit to a predetermined amount of time. They can simply drive the car for as long as they need it, park the car at their destination, end the rental by swiping the card on the windscreen reader, and instantly the car becomes available for the next member to use.

There are five simple steps to using car2go:

Step 1: Become a Member – Licensed drivers can register to become a car2go member at car2go.com. After validation of the driving licence, a member card will be mailed to them, within three to five business days. This membership card will give members access to all the cars in London.

Step 2: Locate a Vehicle – Members use the car2go finder at car2go.com, a smart phone app, tablet app, or the car2go facebook app to locate the nearest available car. They can either use the car spontaneously (without a reservation) or book a car2go in advance online or through the app.

Step 3: Access the Vehicle – Members can simply walk up to the car2go, hold the membership card against the card reader on the windshield and the doors will unlock. After entering a PIN on the touchscreen and rating the condition of the vehicle, a key will be released, allowing them to drive.

Step 4: Drive – Members can take the car key which is stowed next to the touchscreen unit, start the car2go and drive off. They can drive as long as they want, without having to commit to a return time or location.

Step 5: Finish the Trip – Members can complete their trip in any available and unrestricted free public parking space within the car2go Home Area (in Islington and Sutton also on metered and shared residential parking areas). Charges are calculated by the minute, at a rate of 35 pence per minute, and will be debited from their credit or debit card after exiting the vehicle. Fuel, parking, maintenance and insurance are included at no additional cost.