First Car2Go Experience
8th April, 2010 - Posted by carsi - 5 Comments
Earlier this week, Katherine and I were able to try out a Car2Go. We signed up to be members at their office a few weeks ago, and I have had my membership card in my wallet since then and have been looking for the right opportunity to try it out. Katherine and I walked a fairly long distance to have lunch the other day, and if we had walked back we would’ve been late getting back to work. Perfect opportunity to use a Car2Go! We found one parked on the street, checked the little card reader on the front windshield to see if it was available, swiped my card by the reader, and the doors unlocked. You can see the card reader in the bottom right corner of the windshield:
We got in the car and it seemed fairly clean, but there was a little bit of dirt on the floor, like someone had just used it. Other than that, it was really neat and felt new. Also, when you’re inside the vehicle, it doesn’t feel as small as it looks from the outside. The screen on the dashboard asks if everything appears ok, and then it tells you not to get distracted by the GPS or radio. Sage advice.
Once you’ve said everything looks good to go, it tells you to get the keys out of the glove compartment. Then we were off!
Driving the car wasn’t much different than any other car; its small size didn’t really affect the drive. But it wasn’t the smoothest ride I’ve ever had–I’ve never driven a manual car, but I imagine this is what it would feel like. It was a little jerky any time it was changing gears, which I’m not used to, but it was nothing too crazy. Other than that, it was pretty fun to drive around. My only suggestion is that they have a meter, like in a cab, that would let you know how much you’re spending, or at least give the total amount to be charged to your card once the ride is finished. We ended up parking our car in a reserved Car2Go parking spot, but you can also leave it on any open street parking spot. When you’re done, this is the screen that comes up:
You can choose to keep the vehicle while you go somewhere to run an errand, refill the gas tank if you need to (you aren’t required to), or finish up the rental. We ended the rental, put the keys in the glove compartment, and locked the car by swiping my member card on the card reader on the windshield. Overall, it was a really simple process, and I think this is a great alternative transportation option. If you’re still a little confused about the process, here’s a little video that explains it (and shows a lot of fun Austin places):
5 Comments
Carla
April 8th, 2010 at 11:09 pm
Was it like driving a golf cart? I would like to try it next time I’m there…looks so cute! And what a great idea!
carsi
April 9th, 2010 at 8:40 am
It didn’t feel like a golf cart at all–it was just like a regular car, except easier to park!
eric
April 11th, 2010 at 1:53 pm
I think some of your attached photos are pointing to private content from your gmail account and show up broken
carsi
April 12th, 2010 at 11:00 am
thanks, eric! i didn’t notice that. i think i fixed it, but let me know if it’s still not working.
Greening Austin Daily » Free Car2Go Registration Until July 18th
July 7th, 2010 at 11:01 am
[...] and save yourself the 35 bucks before this deal ends! And be sure to check out our post about our first Car2Go experience to get an idea of what driving one of those little guys is [...]
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