Car sharing will become a lot more difficult in Richmond after car2go decided this week to scale back its operations in the city.
The car sharing company stated many of its vehicles sat idle for too long in Richmond.
“This is in stark contrast to the vehicles in the Vancouver home area, which move frequently, ensuring that our vehicles are in constant circulation, rather than occupying limited parking spaces,” noted the company via a news release.
The company will not renew about 50 parking permits, including those at every Canada Line station in Richmond, as of Feb. 1.
However, car2go will keep satellite locations available at the Pacific Gateway Hotel (Vancouver International Airport) and Kwantlen Polytechnic University.
Competitor companies ZipCar and Modo still have limited operations in Richmond.
The benefits of car sharing are numerous, according to a report by Victor Wei, the city's director of transportation; not only do car shares reduce carbon emissions and the number of vehicles on the road, having designated parking spaces in the city can result in more people visiting attractions in the city.
