Your Car2go ride just got a tad more expensive.
The car-sharing service, which lets users rent vehicles and park them in city-owned spots, emailed users across North America on Friday about a new $1 “Driver Protection Fee” that will be added to each ride starting June 1.
Car2go said it will charge the additional $1 (plus tax) as a result of lowering each driver’s insurance deductible from $1,000 to $250, “which will reduce our members’ financial exposure in the unfortunate event that they are involved in an accident or damage a Car2go during their trip,” a company spokesperson said.
Starting June 1, driver deductibles will be reduced to $250. If a user takes more than 90 rides this year, their deductible will be $0 and they won’t be assessed a the $1 fee for each ride after No. 90. On Jan. 1, 2016, driver trip counts will reset for the calendar year.
Some customers weren’t happy about the additional cost.
https://twitter.com/traceyfalk/status/594617732277997568
#car2go adds $1 fee per trip. Just signed up for #Vancouver @EvoCarShare. No fee, same minute rate. Enter "driveevo" for free registration.
— Dee (@DeeKeilholz) May 2, 2015
Definitely a bit shady and disappointing, @car2go @car2goCalgary, trying to sneak in your $1/trip fee and selling it as a “benefit.”
— Jeremy Stauth (@jwstauth) May 2, 2015
In Seattle, Car2go costs 41 cents per minute (plus tax), $14.99 per hour, or $84.99 per day. The company has more than 59,000 registered members in Seattle since launching in the city in early 2013.
In April 2014, Uber added a $1 “Safe Rides Fee” for uberX trips to support the company’s costs related to “background checks, ongoing safety monitoring, education, insurance and safety features.” Lyft also implemented a similar “Trust & Safety Fee” that ranges from $1.50 to $1.95, while Sidecar did the same this past December.
