Car2Go, the innovative mobility carsharing network of eco-friendly smart fortwo vehicles around the world, has launched a new donation initiative called “Ride2Provide”.
The Austin-based Car2Go has quite a significant presence in Canada, particularly in the west coast, as Vancouver is home to the company’s largest fleet. Vancouver has over 650 vehicles and over 55,000 members.
Calling itself the fastest-growing global carsharing company, Car2Go announced that it has launched “ride2provide,” a donation feature to be integrated into the car2go mobile app for iPhone and android. The new initiative seeks to help car2go communities across its 15 locations and over 400,000 members in North America to work together in donating to a charitable cause.
It has already kicked off with a 90-day partnership with Whole Planet Foundation as the program’s first exclusive charity.
With the new “ride2provide” feature, car2go members in Vancouver and across North America will have the opportunity to view a number of “heart cars” labeled with $1 donations based on their current location within the Home Area, where members can pick up and drop off a vehicle. Members will then be able to select a “heart car” that they would like to use for their trip. For each “heart car” used, car2go will contribute a lump sum donation directly to the Whole Planet Foundation to support its efforts in alleviating global poverty through microcredit and entrepreneurship programs in 60 countries around the world, including the U.S.
“Since car2go’s inception, we have long supported our members by helping them get from Point A to Point B with complete ease,” said chief marketing officer Paul DeLong. “Our support for Whole Planet Foundation reinforces our commitment to the communities we serve, and we hope that by connecting our members through ride2provide, we can harness this power and help aspiring entrepreneurs around the world build a stronger future for us all.”
Car2Go targets drivers who only need cars for short amounts of time, to get from point A to point B. The company charges $0.41 cents per hour plus tax per minute of use, with an hour costing $14.99. A full day will cost drivers $84.99.
“Purpose-driven partners like car2go help us to fund opportunities for the world’s poorest entrepreneurs,” said Philip Sansone, president and executive director for Whole Planet Foundation. “Thanks to car2go and the ride2provide initiative, we hope to raise enough funds to provide an additional 2,000 microentrepreneurs with a small loan and a chance to start or expand their own home-based business and lift themselves out of poverty.”
