KALAMAZOO, Mich. — The Chevy Bolt parked behind the Creamery Apartments on Portage Street doesn't belong to just one person. Technically, it can belong to anyone for an hour or a whole day at an affordable price. It's part of a new car-sharing program known as the Affordable Mobility Platform.
"It's very expensive to own or use a car in Michigan, and so some of the benefits of car sharing help to overcome those costs on the individual car user," said Director of Michigan Clean Cities Coalition Maggie Striz Calnin.
The program was launched by the Michigan Clean Cities Coalition and aims to help people get from point A to point B — while saving money and the environment. The project is led by Forth, which worked with Michigan Clean Cities and carshare operator Mobility Development to bring it to fruition. The project is supported in part by a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy's Vehicle Technologies Office.
"Those who come to the area [or] live nearby can join as members of this EV car-sharing system and use the cars on a checkout basis," she said.
To use it, download the Miocar Networks app, fill out an application, pay a one-time application fee of $10, and then wait a few days for your membership to process.
"The car share is $5 an hour, up to $50 for the whole day to use the car, which would be basically an eight-hour checkout. And that is a way to help make it easier to afford using a car and getting where you need to go," Striz Calnin said.
The best part is you don't have to pay out of pocket for insurance or fuel; just return it to where you picked it up and plug it back in.
"The way that the program was set up is to use grants and other ways to subsidize the cost of using the cars so that it can be that affordable rate." She says this is not a means of replacing public transportation; it's meant to provide extra support.
"Sometimes you just need a car to make it more convenient to maybe get groceries, maybe be able to get your kid to and from activities after school or on the weekends, start a carpool that you maybe couldn't start before," she told FOX 17.
There's also a car at Spring Manor in Portage that is part of the program. The cars are available to anyone 21 years and older. Before it can be used, those interested must pass a motor vehicle record check.
