GoCar has today announced its nationwide expansion following a €3 million investment this year, which has increased the number of counties with car sharing bases from two to eighteen.
The milestone announcement for GoCar comes in conjunction with European Mobility Week 2017 (September 16th-22nd) which is calling on European citizens to embrace sustainable, shared transport methods like car sharing in order to reduce transport expenses and lower carbon footprint.
The car sharing company has grown significantly since its launch in 2008, celebrating a number of milestones along the way including reaching 10,000 memberships in February 2017, the launch of the GoElectric electric vehicle fleet in 2016 and the launch of its dedicated parking spaces in Dublin’s city centre in 2015.
In the last year alone, GoCar has doubled its fleet, members, and its monthly trip average. GoCar hopes to continue its service expansion and is seeking input from more county councils to make car sharing available to everyone in Ireland. In the run up to its ten year anniversary, GoCar has announced a further €6 million investment to double its fleet by 2018, bringing the total number of GoCars to over 600 across Ireland.
New partnerships with Irish Rail and County Councils throughout Ireland have made it possible for GoCar to expand its service beyond Dublin and Cork and make car sharing available across sixteen more counties this year including Galway, Limerick, Kildare, Kilkenny, Waterford and Wicklow. The new Irish Rail bases will make it easier for commuters in Ireland to combine rail travel with car sharing and thereby embrace multi-modal, sustainable transport with reduced dependency on private cars.
Commenting on the national expansion, GoCar Managing Director, Colm Brady said, "We are delighted to mark European Mobility Week with the announcement of GoCar’s expansion across Ireland - a significant milestone for the company as we approach our 10 year anniversary next year. Working with Irish Rail and county councillors throughout the country, we have made considerable progress in improving accessibility to car sharing and hope to continue expanding until car sharing is available in as many parts of Ireland as possible."
Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Shane Ross added, "As well as reducing travel costs, traffic congestion and carbon footprints the new partnerships between Go Car, Irish Rail and numerous County Councils will allow commuters to combine rail and car sharing, enhancing travel experiences and allow for much more social mobility. This is terrific news. I look forward to even more car sharing bases being introduced for the benefit of all Irish travellers in 2018."
Source: www.businessworld.ie
