The point-to-point car-sharing service Car2go is offering Chicago residents an extra incentive to participate in the mayoral and aldermanic election next Tuesday, February 26. The company will add $20 in credit to every Chicago member’s account that day to help them get to their voting place.
The credit will only be valid on verified member accounts for 24 hours. According to the company $20 pays about four half-hour Smart car trips.
Chicagoans can register for car2go for free and receive an additional $15 in credit by signing up with the promo code "ChicagoVote" by February 24. (It takes 1-2 business days to verify and activate a new member account.)
“We know that it can be difficult to get to the polls, especially in cold and wintry weather, and we don’t want transportation challenges to prevent anyone from casting their vote,” said Brandon Bordenkircher, the company's Chicago GM in a statement.
Car2go launched here on July 25 and currently has about 400 cars. But due to opposition from some aldermen and residents who feared a parking crunch for private car owners (even though a UC Berkeley study found the service reduces car ownership in the long run), the central-city coverage area doesn't extend into the South Side, and excludes Lakeview and Lincoln Park. According to the sunset provision for the pilot, the test was to run from May 1 to December 31, 2018, and if no action was taken, extend on its own accord through June 30, 2019.
