8/11/04
Five Chicago Transit Authority sites will provide access to vehicles belonging toI-GO, a car-sharing program. The Chicago Transit Board approved the agreement today between the CTA, the Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT) and its affiliate I-GO Car Sharing (I-GO). The new partnership is designed to promote the use of public transportation by providing additional options for public transit users.
The agreement establishes a yearlong pilot program where members can access I-GO vehicles at locations adjacent to or near public transportation. The five new locations are at the CTA's Damen station on the O'Hare branch of the Blue Line, Western station on the Brown Line, Addison and Thorndale stations on the Red Line, and under the Brown and Red Line tracks on Lincoln at Wrightwood. The under 'L' location is within walking distance from the Diversey and Fullerton 'L' stations as well as the #8 Halsted and #11 Lincoln bus routes.
?Providing links between the CTA and other modes of transportation, such as the CTA's Bike & Ride program, improves the options for CTA customers," said CTA President Frank Kruesi. ?Combined with the convenience of public transit, car sharing provides an alternative to private car ownership and has the potential to attract more drivers to public transit use."
?The partnership between CTA and the Center for Neighborhood Technology will help reduce traffic congestion in the region," said Chicago Transit Board Chairman Carole Brown. 'since car sharing began in Chicago, 30 percent of members have increased their public transit use and 44 percent either gave up or postponed plans for purchasing a vehicle. Partnering I-GO with the CTA could further increase the use of public transportation."
I-GO is a pay-as-you-go, not-for-profit, cooperative car use system, with 14 vehicles shared by 536 members at nine locations in the Chicago area. The new CTA partnership will bring the total number of vehicles to 18 at 13 locations. Members pay a one-time membership fee of $75 and a mileage-based fee of $6/hour and $.50/mile each time they use an I-GO vehicle.
Five I-GO vehicles will be based in designated spaces at sites owned by the CTA.
I-GO members make reservations by phone or online through I-GO and access the vehicle using an I-GO issued smart card that unlocks and starts the car. No attendants or keys are necessary. CTA provides the parking spaces only. CTA is not liable for damage to the vehicles while on CTA property.
Other cities participating in a combined transit and car-sharing program report an increase in transit use of three trips per week by new members. These cities include Washington, D.C., Seattle, San Francisco and Portland.
The Chicago Transit Authority is the nation's second largest public transit system, serving Chicago and surrounding suburbs. Nearly two million customers use some combination of CTA, Pace and Metra to get to and from destinations throughout the six-county region. The CTA is committed to meeting the transportation needs of the region by providing quality and affordable transit service for all of its customers.
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