Car-sharing in Germany becomes attractive transport option
March 6, 2013
This spring, Ford Motor Company will launch FORD2GO, a car-sharing program formed following a partnership between Ford of Germany, DB Rent GmbH and FHD GmbH. According to a Ford-sponsored survey, 56 percent of Europeans say they'd consider car-sharing, and Ford is ready to respond to those findings.
FORD2GO will be the first nationwide automotive manufacturer-backed car-sharing program to incorporate dealerships as local hubs. Fifty dealerships will have over 500 cars available before the end of the year. The potential for this network to expand is immense: Ford has 527 dealers, 257 affiliated branches and 1083 authorized repair shops in Germany.
The draws are plentiful. In densely packed urban areas where open parking spaces are few and far between, obtaining access to a car on only a temporary basis has its appeal. Public transportation may be an excellent alternative in some situations, but it does limit destinations and potentially force a traveler into an imposed schedule. This program is more environmentally friendly than individual car ownership and also removes the responsibility of long-term maintenance from the driver.
DB Rent will assist customers in booking the vehicles. Their web-based booking system and associated app will work on both Android and iOS mobile devices. FORD2GO will be available for use by private as well as commercial customers.
While the customers benefit from increased personal mobility, the car company also enjoys exposure of Ford vehicles across the German market. Still, with a rising interest in car-sharing across Europe, Ford is focused on more than traditional car sales. "Depending on the program's success in Germany, it could get rolled out to other European countries," said a Ford representative to MSN Autos.
Those who want to talk about car-sharing can make calls to Germany with prepaid international phone cards.