In March Oak Parkers will get a new car?#34;a brand new Honda Civic or Element. Of course, they’ll have to bring it back when they’re done with it.
The cars will be available 24/7 to members of I-GO, a nonprofit car-sharing program started in Chicago in 2002. Oak Park is its second suburban location.
“We think Oak Park is absolutely perfect for this program,” said Richard Kosmacher, sales and marketing manager for I-GO, explaining that members can use any of the 35 cars in 15 Chicago neighborhoods and Evanston. It’s perfect for those who commute to the city for work, then need to drive somewhere during the day.
“Everybody needs a car sometime,” Kosmacher said. “That’s where we step in.”
Some I-GO members don’t own a car and pay the $6 hourly and $0.50 per-mile charges to use an I-GO car for that stock-up trip to the grocery store, or for picking up that bulking item at IKEA. He said the service also comes in handy for one-car families.
The program was created by the Center for Neighborhood Technology as an environmentally friendly form of auto use. The green part comes in the fact that I-GO’s entire fleet are Hondas, many are hybrids, so the average gas mileage of the fleet is well over 30 miles per gallon.
Also, approximately 15-20 regular users “share” a single I-GO car, thus taking unused cars off the streets, freeing up parking.
“It’s a great program because there’s no infrastructure that needs to be built,” Kosmacher said.
But I-GO is also trying to help with personal finances, too.
“We think people are tying up too much of their resources on a depreciating asset,” he said, adding that members can save thousands a year by not having a car.
Edmunds.com, a car-related website, publishes “True Cost to Own” estimates. The Honda Civic cost is $0.41 per mile ($0.45 for the Element), which includes depreciation, financing, insurance, taxes, gas, maintenance, etc. The website estimates the five-year true cost of owning a new Civic to be $30,633.
But that estimate is based on driving 15,000 miles a year. Drive less and a per-mile estimate can go through the roof.
Oak Park will be home to two cars, which will be housed at the Avenue parking garage, chosen for its proximity to the Green Line el stop, as many I-GO parking spots are. The cars must be returned to their home spots after use.
Members pay a one-time $75 start-up to join, pay the hourly and per-mile charges, and a $25-a-year membership renewal fee. Gas, registration, insurance and all of those other costs are included in the rental. Members then have access to I-GO’s entire fleet throughout Chicago, and just need to call minutes or up to a year in advance to reserve a car.
The village is expected to donate the two parking spots the cars will occupy in the Avenue garage. Approval was expected at a Tuesday night village board meeting after press time. Participation in the program was recommended by the Environment & Energy Commission.
To learn more about becoming a member, visit www.igocars.org or call 773/278-4446. Oak Parkers who sign up by March 31 will get $50 off the membership fee by using the promotion code D50OAKPARK.
CONTACT: dcarterAwjinc.com