What's New at I-GO?

Clarification Regarding Flexcar Merger

You may have seen or heard news about Flexcar merging with Zip Car and had questions about how that affects your I-GO membership? This merger in no way affects I-GO Car Sharing or your membership. I-GO is an independent non-profit. We buy services from Flexcar. They have been our vendor and handled billing and we licensed the reservation system from them. Now that they are going to become Zipcar, we will be transitioning away from their services. We will have our own reservation system and our staff will handle all billing and member processing. We are excited about having more control over these processes so that we can provide better service. To learn more about the I-GO team and our mission, visit our About Us page.

Member Plans

There are many great features we've added to the I-GO Member Plans, including "day rates" on over half of the vehicles in our fleet! All members can reserve our "day rate" vehicles regardless of their plan, starting at $60/day any day of the week. This includes 150 miles for each 24-hour period. Not sure how long you'll need the vehicle? No problem! We've added an Estimated Trip Cost Calculator and columns to the reservation grid that will show the rate of each vehicle per weekday hour, weekend hour and the day rate. If your hourly rate exceeds the cost of the vehicle's day rate, you will always be charged the lesser amount.

Details on I-GO Member Plans can be found on the Pricing page at www.igocars.org.

North American Car Sharing Organizations Pave the Way

I-GO is one of several leading North American car sharing organizations developing and adopting a Code of Ethics to guide and strengthen this emerging industry.

In order to make sure that car sharing retains its focus on making cities more livable and affordable, I-GO is working closely with many of the independent and non-profit car sharing organizatons in North America. I-GO, along with our partners in Philadelphia (PhillyCarShare), Montreal and Quebec City (Communauto), Ottawa (Vrtucar), Toronto (AutoShare), Kitchener (Grand River CarShare), San Francisco (City CarShare), and Vancouver (Co-operative Auto Network) have just agreed on a Code of Ethics for the industry and we are also working toward offering free membership for any member using vehicles in all of the above cities.

These independent organizations have a combined total of over 75,000 members and 2,000 vehicles, and the Code of Ethics will be a foundation for the original car sharing mission. To read more, click here.

New Cars, New Locations

• 201 N. Westshore Drive- The Lancaster (Lakeshore East/Downtown)- Toyota Matrix
• 1727 S. Indiana Avenue- Prairie District Lofts (South Loop)- Toyota Prius
• 2021 W. Chicago Avenue- Dominicks (West Town)- Coming in early November!

We know having vehicles conveniently located is important to our members. Our goal is to assess neighborhood transportation options, evaluate existing vehicle usage, listen to our members' feedback and make decisions that best serves our entire membership.

Welcome New Business Members

• American Friends Service Committee
• Axial Productions
• Urban Works, Ltd.
• Wolff Landscape Architecture, Inc.

Member Tips

• Hey it's not Fido's fault!

  Fido's quick trip to the groomer in an I-GO vehicle has created an issue for other members with allergies to dog hair and dander. "It's just not cool," one member said. "I wear black suits and I'm terrified there will be dog hair in the car."

  I-GO loves animals, but in order to keep our vehicles clean and allergy-free, we must enforce our animal policy which states all animals must be in a pet carrier while in an I-GO vehicle. There is a $100 fine for this pooch violation.

• Premium Insurance

  One of the most important benefits I-GO offers is premium insurance. This means you are covered for up to $300,000 per accident plus $5,000 per person on medical for you and your passengers. We can't put a price tag on this peace of mind, but it is included with every I-GO membership!

Neighborhood News

East Rogers Park

Information provided by I-GO member Lisa Kemp.

Rogers Park, a very ethnically and economically diverse community, is the last Chicago neighborhood before you arrive in Evanston, located at the northernmost point of the city. Because of its diversity, Rogers Park has a wealth of restaurants and activities, and a very down-to-earth and relaxed feel. Since Rogers Park is generally sub-divided and referred to by "east" and "west," click here and check out some of the best of what East Rogers Park has to offer. For more information or to get details on current events, visit www.RogersPark.com. If you'd like to share information about your neighborhood, contact Deb Ackles. You could earn up to $20 in driving credits if we use your content in future newsletters.

Part of the Community

Chances are you saw I-GO staff and volunteers at Whole Foods Evanston, Cobbler Square, Northwestern University, Whole Foods Lakeview, Art Project 44-46, Chicago Bungalow & Green Home Expo or at one of the many events in your neighborhood in October. I-GO Car Sharing has been a proud member of Chicago for 5 years, and Evanston and Oak Park for 3 years. We'll see you at a neighborhood event soon!

I-GO staff member, Lauren Hugel and I-GO volunteer, Byron Samuel share information with a potential member at the Evanston Whole Foods.

Events

I-GO Car Sharing participates and supports neighborhood events and programs in Chicago, Evanston and Oak Park. We encourage you to get involved and support the following events in your community.

For more information, click on the event link or if you'd like to volunteer for an event, contact Sheena@igocars.org. We'll see you there!

• Reeling 2007: The 26th Chicago Lesbian & Gay Intl. Film Festival
  November 8-18
• Loyola Eco-Fair
  November 13th & 14th 1-4pm
• IREM
  November 14th, 8-10am
• Pivot Boutique's Holiday Event
  November 27, 6-9:30 pm

Add an Event

We want to share information and keep members informed about what is happening in your community. If you have an event you'd like for us to consider listing, please email Sheena@igocars.org.

Copyright © 2007 I-GO Car Sharing