“Avis competitor Enterprise announced yesterday that it was acquiring IGO, the Chicago nonprofit that pioneered the concept there more than a decade ago. As we’ve previously written, nonprofits have had the room to test the limits of car-sharing with an eye solely toward the goal of advancing alternative transportation. They can experiment with ideas that might not make money, like expanding service to low-income residents, or integrating it with public transit, or structuring it around electric cars.
We don’t yet know whether Avis, or Enterprise, or any other for-profit company will ultimately focus as much on these goals that have less to do with the bottom line and more to do with transportation equity and environmental impact. Until now, for example, IGO has enabled members to use debit cards in addition to credit cards, a crucial logistical detail for bringing low-income users who may not have credit cards into a car-sharing system. Enterprise previously acquired the nonprofit PhillyCarShare, which had a similar option. But Enterprise now requires credit cards in Philadelphia.” – Emily Badger, Atlantic Cities.
To read more about Enterprise’s acquisition of iGo Carsharing, visit Atlantic Cities.
That’s too bad. I’d love to see these companies rise up from humble beginnings. I like to think some of us don’t have a price.