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As part of an upcoming New Homes Magazine article, we spoke with Rich Kosmacher, business development manager with I-GO Car Sharing.
I-GO is a distinctly Chicago endeavor that launched in 2002 as a nonprofit effort through the Center of Neighborhood Technology. Since then, the program’s nifty cars – mostly fuel-efficient Hondas and Toyotas – have become ubiquitous at grocery stores and public parking garages around the city. Drivers reserve cars at locations around the city and then pay an hourly rate to use the vehicles; gas and insurance is provided through the program.
As a nonprofit, I-GO can claim a deep market penetration, often bringing cars into areas ahead of the pending gentrification wave. And for urban homebuyers, the presence of an I-GO car is seen as a vote of confidence in the future of the neighborhood itself.
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How does I-Go compare and contrast with Zip Cars?
I think that new residential buildings of 20+ units should have parking requirements for these type of services (I-Go, Zip Cars etc) and at the same time reduce reduce the resident parking required.
iGo is a locally based non-for-profit (through the Center for Neighborhood Technology, I believe), so by supporting them you know are putting additional cars on the street – if you like car sharing, that’s the way to go IMO. plus, the iGo folks are committed to getting cars all over the City, not just in a few neighborhoods.
Firstly, it’s the Center for Neighborhood Technology, not the Center of Neighborhood Technology, which Joe Zekas kindly pointed out to me in an email. Strangely, I’ve written about the CNT numerous times before and never made this mistake. First time for everything – and last.
Rich Kosmacher told me that I-GO started as a nonprofit in 2002, whereas Zipcar started in Boston and made its initial market entry in Chicago in 2006 – after I-GO had proven the viability of a car sharing market.
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