GoCar is the first

Carsharing Carsharing or car sharing (AU, NZ, CA, TH, & US) or car clubs (UK) is a model of car rental where people rent cars for short periods of time, often by the hour. It differs from traditional car rental in that the owners of the cars are often pri ...

service in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. GoCar members can book cars online or via the app for as little as an hour, then unlock with their phone or GoCard; the keys are in the car, with fuel, insurance and city parking all included. Rates start from €10 per hour, with 50 km of driving included on each trip. GoCar now has over 10,000 members and operates a fleet of over 300 cars across 200+ locations in Ireland. Drivers can visit GoCar.ie to request a GoCar in their community. It launched in

Cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...

in September 2008, with the support of

Cork City Council Cork City Council ( ga, Comhairle Cathrach Chorcaí) is the authority responsible for local government in the city of Cork in Ireland. As a city council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. Prior to the enactment of the 2001 Act, ...

as a pilot scheme. Cork City Council gave GoCar use of 3 car parking locations in Cork City as part of a wider pilot scheme. Carsharing contributes to

sustainable transport Sustainable transport refers to ways of transportation that are sustainable in terms of their social and environmental impacts. Components for evaluating sustainability include the particular vehicles used for road, water or air transport; th ...

because it is a less car intensive means of urban transport, and according to ''

The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British weekly newspaper printed in demitab format and published digitally. It focuses on current affairs, international business, politics, technology, and culture. Based in London, the newspaper is owned by The Econo ...

'', carsharing can reduce car ownership at an estimated rate of one rental car replacing 15 owned vehicles. Carsharing can provide numerous transportation, land use, environmental, and social benefits. Neighborhood carsharing is often promoted as an alternative to owning a car where

public transit Public transport (also known as public transportation, public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlike private transport, typical ...

, walking, and

cycling Cycling, also, when on a two-wheeled bicycle, called bicycling or biking, is the use of cycles for transport, recreation, exercise or sport. People engaged in cycling are referred to as "cyclists", "bicyclists", or "bikers". Apart from two ...

can be used most of the time and a car is only necessary for out-of-town trips, moving large items, or special occasions. It can also be an alternative to owning multiple cars for households with more than one driver. A long-term study of

City CarShare City Carshare was a carsharing program that operated in the San Francisco Bay Area, starting in 2001. It rented vehicles by the hour. In November 2016, the company effectively ceased operations, when Getaround, a for-profit, carsharing company, t ...

members found that 30 percent of households that joined sold a car; others delayed purchasing one. Transit use, bicycling, and walking also increased among members. A study of driving behavior of members from major carsharing organizations found an average decline in 27% of annual vehicle kilometres travelled (VKT).

Investment

GoCar teamed up with Cambio CarSharing to provide the service. Cambio are one of

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

's largest Carsharing providers currently based in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

and

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

. During June 2012, GoCar was relaunched in the Mansion House Dublin by the Lord Mayor of Dublin, Andrew Montague. GoCar announced that it had received significant funding from the owners of ''Irish Car Rentals'' which would allow the company expand to having 200 cars on the road by the end of 2013.

Dublin City Council by-laws

On 1 August 2013, Dublin City Council's new by-laws in relation to car clubs came into effect. GoCar was presented with the city's first on-street Car Club licence on the same day. To coincide with the announcement of this development, GoCar increased its number of cars in Dublin to 50, with 31 of these cars availing of the new on-street licence in 32 locations around Dublin. All of these new locations are highly visible and convenient, and won't be liable for on-street car parking charges. This means, a GoCar with this licence can be parked anywhere in the city and not have to pay parking.

"Dublin City Council wants Car Clubs operating from on-street parking spaces because we believe they will play an important role in improving traffic management in the city. Research shows that the number of miles people drive goes down and there is an increase in walking and cycling as Car Clubs become established." (Dublin's Lord Mayor
Oisín Quinn Oisín Quinn (born 16 May 1969) is a former Irish Labour Party politician who served as Lord Mayor of Dublin from 2013 to 2014 and a Dublin City Councillor from 2004 to 2014. Quinn was first elected to Dublin City Council in the 2004 Irish loc ...
)

Dublin City Council sees numerous benefits in Car Clubs, including: * Each car can be accessed by multiple drivers * Car Clubs reduce the requirement for private transport * Car Clubs will help reduce the number of cars in Dublin * The vehicles used by car clubs are newer than the average car, and therefore more environmentally friendly and safer

GoCar Fleet

90% of the GoCar fleet are low emission vehicles. Currently the fleet consists of a range of cars including: * Hyundai i20 * Hyundai i30 * Hyundai Kona * Nissan Micra * Renault Trafic * Ford Transit Connect * Renault Clio * BMW i3 EV *Nissan Leaf *Hyundai Kona EV

Current Locations

Dublin

Cork

The full list of GoCar locations can be found at https://www.gocar.ie/locations/

References

External links

GoCar Website
{{Vehicle rental brands Carsharing Transport in County Tipperary Transport companies of the Republic of Ireland