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I-GO in the news

On this page, you can find media coverage of I-GO, archived materials, up-to-date reports from us about new programs and services, and links to social media sites we participate in.

Become a fan of I-GO’s Facebook page.

Follow us on Twitter.

Look for photos of events and more on I-GO’s Flickr photostream.

And don’t forget to bookmark Motormouth, I-GO’s blog, where we also post important and interesting news about I-GO and related events and issues in sustainable transportation.

Press contact:
Craig Keller
Communications Manager
773-269-4093
ckeller@igocars.org

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June 25, 2009
Twin Cities-Chicago car sharing connection

Here’s a nice little plug for I-GO by a transplanted-Chicagoan blogging in Minneapolis. Maybe she can avail herself of Hour Car, a St. Paul-based car-sharing service that’s remarkably similar to I-GO’s business model. They were also launched by a non-profit green org, Neighborhood Energy Connections, that, like I-GO’s parent org Center for Neighborhood Technology (man, even the names sound alike), is invested in energy conservation initiatives and policy work.

One of Hour Car’s staff stopped by our Wicker Park office this week since he was visiting Chicago. Smart guy. They’ve got two full-time staffers and are growing their biz and fleet steadily. They’re also focused on low-emission vehicles.

Hour Car publishes a blog, too, and posted an item on I-GO yesterday.

Thanks, Hour Car compatriots.

And FYI to all I-GO members: If you’re visiting the Twin Cities, you can use Hour Car’s fleet without having to pay a membership sign-up fee. That benefit also applies to our non-profit car-sharing sister companies in Philadelphia (PhillyCarShare) and San Francisco (City CarShare).

Tell ‘em I-GO sent you.

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Suburban car usage is the real carbon culprit
Props to Center for Neighborhood Technology (I-GO’s parent org) for the Chicago Sun-Times coverage today of its CO2 mapping study - which proves suburban transportation usage is a far worse carbon culprit than folks living in dense urban areas. I-GO gets a nice mention, too, courtesy of an Oak Park couple that use our cars.

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I-GO reviewed in Wall Street Journal
I-GO was included in a comparison of car-sharing companies in the Wall Street Journal’s “Cranky Consumer” column on Thursday, June 11. We’re happy to report that, with the exception of a lone half-eaten French fry, we came out smelling more or less like roses.

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I-GO dials up new mobile reservations site

I-GO has always been about mobile convenience. But now we’re really on the move.

Smartphone fans, take a deep breath, tilt your touch screens and flex those thumbs: I-GO now has an online reservation site configured for iPhone, BlackBerry, and other web-enabled mobile devices.

Bookmark it, baby:

http://reservations.igocars.org/mobile

Keep in mind it’s designed for phones, not your desktop monitor, though you can get a basic idea of its functions on the latter. (It just won’t look half as cool.) iPhone users can also try out a desktop demo here.

Sweet, huh? We’re calling it “I-GO on the go.”

Now it’s exceptionally easy to log in to your online account any time, anywhere. The mobile site is a distilled, highly intuitive version of our online reservation system, customized with larger search buttons and easy-to-read drop-down menus. Search for cars by date and time, location preferences, vehicle type, and amenities just as you would on your desktop computer.

Needless to say, grabbing an I-GO car in one of the 30-plus neighborhoods we serve is now literally in the palm of your hand.

The mobile site also makes the Chicago Card Plus/I-GO Card—I-GO’s joint smartcard initiative with CTA—that much more convenient. Reserve an I-GO car within seconds that’s located at or near an upcoming stop on a CTA rail line or bus route. Next stop: I-GO.

Please note: There is a $2.99 charge the first time you use the mobile site to make, extend, cancel, or release a reservation. This will help us offset the cost of building, maintaining, and adding future enhancements to to this special feature. The fee will appear on your next month’s invoice, and all further use of the mobile site is entirely free.

I-GO on the go. Now the city’s your car-sharing oyster.

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For Immediate Release
May 27, 2009

Contact: Nicole Gotthelf
nicoleg@cnt.org, 773-269-4029

Urban Living Helps Curb Global Warming, While Cutting Personal Transportation Costs
Study compares emissions of city, suburban households


Chicago—At first glance, cities may appear to be a big source of the greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming. But new research by the nonprofit Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT), which compares greenhouse gas emissions of city and suburban households, yields some surprising results.

CNT, which launched I-GO Car Sharing in 2002, looked at emissions of carbon dioxide, a key greenhouse gas, stemming from household vehicle travel in 55 metropolitan areas across the U.S. When measured on a per household basis, it found that the transportation-related emissions of people living in cities and compact neighborhoods can be nearly 70% less than those living in suburbs. See how this compares in your region. (Click on “Household Auto Greenhouse Gas Emissions.”)

“Cities are more location-efficient—meaning key destinations are closer to where people live and work,” said Scott Bernstein, CNT’s President. “They require less time, money, fuel and greenhouse gas emissions for residents to meet their everyday travel needs. People can walk, bike, car-share, take public transit. So residents of cities and compact communities generate less CO2 per household than people who live in more dispersed communities, like many suburbs and outlying areas.

“If you’re deciding where to live, consider moving to an urban area. You’ll help fight global warming by emitting less CO₂. And you’re likely to drive less, so you’ll spend less on transportation, saving up to $5,000 annually.”

CNT’s research shows that average transportation costs vary greatly depending on location, from a low of 14% of area household median income in transit-rich, compact communities, to highs of 28% or more in exurban areas where employment, retail, and other amenities are more dispersed.

CNT focused on vehicle travel as a source of emissions, since research shows that transportation accounts for 28% of all greenhouse gases in the U.S. Its work compares the conventional per-acre analysis of greenhouse gas emissions due to vehicle travel with a new per-household view in each metropolitan area it studied. The results suggest that, due to their density and transportation alternatives, cities are a central part of the climate change solution.

The research is an outgrowth of CNT’s Housing + Transportation Affordability Index, which examines several aspects of location efficiency. One is the true cost of housing when household transportation costs are factored in, which vary widely by location. Together, transportation and housing can account for more than 60% of annual household expenses for some working families living in outlying areas—significantly impacting their cost of living and quality of life. The site also illuminates the environmental cost of housing location, which includes impacts like household carbon dioxide emissions.

Since its launch a year ago, the H+T Affordability Index has been expanded to show current CO₂ maps, as well as the impact of location and gasoline costs on household budgets between the years 2000 and 2008. It has also been redesigned and enhanced for ease of use and data access.

With generous funding from the Rockefeller Foundation, the index will be expanded to cover more than 330 metropolitan areas in the U.S. later this year.

Founded in 1978, CNT is a Chicago-based nonprofit organization that works nationally to advance urban sustainability by researching, inventing and testing strategies that use resources more efficiently and equitably. Its programs focus on climate, energy, natural resources, transportation, and community development. CNT is one of eight nonprofits selected from around the world to be recognized by a 2009 MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions, from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

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I-GO at Whole Foods Market store opening, Lincoln Park

Whole Foods Market opened its jaw-dropping new Lincoln Park store on Wed., May 20, and I-GO was there for the ribbon-cutting ceremony with Mayor Daley and the Whole Foods Market brass. I-GO is one of WFM’s community partners, and the store has graciously provided us with a spectacular reserved parking space in its front lot. Needless to say, given both companies’ green missions, we put a Prius there.

The new store is insane—and we mean that in the best possible way. Huge, yes. The third biggest WFM store worldwide. But that’s not what’s impressive. Sushi bar, wine and cheese tasting bar, a healthy grill bar, a spacious bodycare and wellness area, rows and rows of reusable earth-friendly shopping bags…and a whole halibut in the seafood section that was so ginormous we thought it might wriggle free of its display case and jump in the Chicago River, which runs right past the store. One of our fave features: an automated, temperature-controlled wine machine by a California-based vendor called Napa Technology that serves different sized pours in cups. This ain’t your grandparents’ supermarket, that’s for sure.

The I-GO parking location here couldn’t be more fitting. We now have cars at five WFM stores, and besides the fact that we’re both eco-oriented and support local community initiatives, it’s important to note that grocery shopping remains the number-one reason people use I-GO cars. That’s synergy you can bottle and serve again and again and again.

Check out our Flickr slide show of pix we snapped at the event:

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I-GO does Green Fest
I-GO waded into the eco throng with elan at this year’s Green Festival at Navy Pier on May 16-17. Among the vegans, home energy auditors, eco apparel purveyors, climate action advocates and plenty more, our car sharing booth held plenty of interest. As did the three-wheeled electric Zap cars and scooters parked next to us, which were George Jetson cool.

Slinging sales pitches at the I-GO booth was fun work at Green Fest. Car sharing’s cost-saving, convenient virtues sell themselves. (In the background of the photo at right you can catch a glimpse of the all-electric Zap three-wheelers, street-legal eco-lectable rides made by a California-based company. We question whether former Conan the Barbarian Gov. Arnold could shoehorn himself into one, though.)

At left, pictured, was one of our fave installations at the fest: Chicago-based Working Bikes‘ demo of how their donated wheels help villagers in Africa and Central America do everything from power blenders to irrigate gardens. (We’re not so sure about the functional application of the armillary-sphere-looking thing here with the toy bike circumnavigating its globe. But it sure is cool.)

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I-GO and Chicago Park District bring car sharing vehicles to four Chicago parks

I-GO Car Sharing and the Chicago Park District have partnered to bring four I-GO Car Sharing low-emission vehicles to four different park locations in the city. Beginning Friday, May 1, an I-GO car will be available at Horner Park, 2741 W. Montrose Ave. in Albany Park; Independence Park, 3945 N. Springfield Ave. in Old Irving Park; Margate Park, 4921 N. Marine Dr. in Uptown; and Ridge Park, 1817 W. 96th St. in Beverly. The cars herald a new relationship between I-GO and the Park District, with reserved parking spots generously provided by the latter.

“Car sharing makes a lot of sense for municipal agencies because it can reduce their fleet costs while providing a community benefit,” said Sharon Feigon, CEO of I-GO Car Sharing. “We are delighted to partner with the Park District so that Chicagoans can combine use of an I-GO vehicle with a visit to a park facility.”

“As one of our core values, the Chicago Park District continuously strives to implement green friendly practices into our day-to-day operations that are cost-effective during these tough economic times,” said Tim Mitchell, Chicago Park District General Superintendent and CEO. “We are excited to partner with I-GO Car Sharing and offer this program not only to our employees but to the communities near the four new locations in our parks as well.”

The I-GO vehicles are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to any residents or Park District employees who become members of I-GO Car Sharing. The cars include: a silver Honda Fit (Horner Park); a red Toyota Prius hybrid (Independence Park); a silver Honda Civic hybrid (Margate Park); and a silver Toyota Scion xB (Ridge Park). I-GO members can search for these and any other I-GO car on I-GO’s website by address, neighborhood or vehicle type.

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I-GO’s parent org just won a MacArthur Foundation Award!

CENTER FOR NEIGHBORHOOD TECHNOLOGY HONORED WITH “2009 MACARTHUR AWARD FOR CREATIVE AND EFFECTIVE INSTITUTIONS”

CNT Among Eight Organizations in Five Countries Selected to Receive Prestigious Award from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

CHICAGO, IL (April 28, 2009)— The Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT) was recognized today as one of only eight organizations from around the world to receive the prestigious John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Award for Creative and Effective Institutions. CNT has pioneered new approaches to urban problems that use resources more efficiently, reduce costs for households and communities, and improve the environment. The award recognizes organizations that are “highly creative and effective, have made an extraordinary impact in their fields and are helping to address some of the world’s most challenging problems.”

Read more>>

And check out our blog post on Motormouth as well.

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Fast Company magazine praises I-GO’s and CTA’s joint transit smart card
The hipster business magazine cited the Chicago Card Plus/I-GO Card as one of the “12 Ideas to Build On” in its May issue feature on progressive green cities. We represent Chicago, which admittedly has plenty of enviro-friendly initiatives worth name-checking. But we, of course, agree that getting people to think of car sharing and CTA as two spokes on the public-transit wheel by encouraging transfers between the two is worth celebrating!

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I-GO Car Sharing and ComEd Introduce Plug-In Car-Share Vehicles to Downtown Chicago and South Loop

Governor Quinn recognizes I-GO and ComEd for their commitment to greening Illinois

On April 21, 2009, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn joined I-GO and ComEd at a joint press conference in the James R. Thompson Center in Chicago to announce the addition of plug-in hybrid electric cars to I-GO’s fleet. The cars, funded by ComEd and located in the Millennium Park north garage and at 900 S. Clark St., have dedicated power-charging stations adjacent to them and are part of I-GO’s and ComEd’s continuing commitment toward greater energy efficiency and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

Check out photos from the press conference on I-GO’s Flickr page.

Or read a Medill Reports article about the event.

These vehicles are the first step in a larger strategy to provide hybrid electric car-sharing vehicles throughout Chicago and, ultimately, other cities in Illinois. Hybrid electric vehicles can reduce dependence on fossil fuels, provide cost-effective transportation, and help the State of Illinois reduce its own expenses as well.

Thanks to the extra batteries in I-GO’s plug-in hybrids, the cars can get up to 100mpg for trips under 30 to 40 miles, an exceptional benefit for I-GO members, who use cars primarily for short trips. The increased fuel economy also results in lower energy costs and CO2 emissions—up to two-thirds over the standard Prius. By making these two cars available to I-GO members, I-GO and ComEd hope to jump-start the electric-car learning curve and discern valuable information about how plug-ins can be integrated into a more expansive car-sharing model.

“We’ve been committed to environmentally sound policy since our inception. This takes us to the next level,” said Sharon Feigon, CEO of I-GO Car Sharing. “Plug-in hybrids will further reduce our use of fossil fuels and, along with charging stations and consumers putting power back on the grid, can provide more sustainable transportation. I-GO is working to integrate walking, biking, public transit and car sharing so that the people of Illinois can make eco-conscious decisions while getting where they want to go faster, cheaper and more conveniently.”

“As we celebrate Earth Week in Illinois, I want to salute I-GO Car Sharing and ComEd for recognizing the importance of making our state more sustainable,” said Governor Quinn (pictured left with I-GO Business Development Manager Richard Kosmacher and one of I-GO’s plug-ins).

“ComEd actively pursues opportunities to empower our customers with tools to make smart energy choices,” said Anne Pramaggiore, executive vice president, Customer Operations, Regulatory and External Affairs, ComEd. “ComEd’s support in converting these hybrids to plug-in electric cars will help our customers participating in the I-GO program take action to positively impact the environment.”

ComEd’s sponsorship is part of a larger effort to take the utility’s system into the future and meet customers’ ever-expanding information needs, such as through the proposed initial phase of northern Illinois’ own Smart Grid deployment. Advances in technology provide opportunity to transform delivery of power.

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Past press coverage

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