Car2Go Cutting Out Portland's Lower-Income, Racially Diverse Areas?
Car2Go Smart Fortwo, in Portland The Daimler-owned car-sharing operation Car2Go recently announced that it was massively reducing its coverage area around Portland, Oregon. According to the company, it’s simply a smart business move, one that will keep cars in areas where they’ll be more likely to be used frequently, and less likely to be ‘stranded.’ DON'T MISS: Portland Car2Go Car-Sharing Fleet To Get Bike Racks But a number of local sources note that many of the 18-square-mile portions being cut from the service area coincide with minority and lower-income areas --which may be most in need of more options for inexpensive transportation. The move dramatically cuts the area covered—from 52 square miles to 34 square miles—yet maintains the same number of vehicles currently in the Portland fleet (around 500 vehicles). “Through extensive market studies, we have found that vehicles remain idle four times longer in low usage areas, affecting the overall availab