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.