Car2go

This week's blog is not so much about an emerging technology, but more of an emerging program. The Car2go is a program that was tested in Austin, Texas. It is pretty much a fleet of cars are placed throughout the city and available for immediate rent from Car2go members. A member can go outside, find a Car2go parked in public parking, swipe their card in the scanner placed on the rear of the car, and then hop in and drive away. The driver can then park the car in either a public parking spot or a designated Car2go spot and go on with their life. The car is then available for another Car2go member. The trial went very well in Austin and the full program will be implemented in the near future. When I first read about this program, I can think of several possible problems with the program. However, the trial went well and the program is developed to be like one in Germany that has been very successful. This really promotes the idea of sharing a car and cooperating with other community members. It could potentially cut down on the number of cars on the road, help with traffic, and just be convenient for busy people. It would be so convenient to be able to just find a car on the street, hop in it, drive it, and not have to worry about gas, maintenance, and paying for parking. I can only imagine what other similar programs will be developed and implemented in larger cities in the near future.http://www.car2go.com/