Car-sharing service car2go has just surpassed 2 million members, spread out in a number of different markets around the world. 800,000 of these members are in North America, while the European market accounts for another 1.1 million members.
The car-sharing service continues to grow in popularity at a substantial rate, increasing by 43% on average year after year. In addition, for a limited time, Canadian and American motorists can sign up without charge for the service.
Those who are expecting the car-sharing phenomenon to peter out should take a look a recent study by Frost & Sullivan, which shows that the number of users of car-sharing services is set to increase from 7.9 million users in 2015, to more than 36 million by 2025, a phenomenal pace of growth.
The introduction in Europe of Mercedes-Benz CLA and GLA cars to the car2go fleet is likely one of the factors fueling this growth. These types of luxury models have also been introduced as part of pilot projects in selected Canadian markets.
A study by the University of Berkeley in California determined that the total number of vehicles in Washington, D.C., San Diego, Calgary, Seattle and Vancouver declined by 28,000 in 2015 due to the introduction of car2go, with an accompanying substantial reduction in air pollution.