What’s New at I-GO?

New Car Smell

• #4559, 2021 W. Chicago Ave.-Dominicks-West Town-Civic
• #4560, 2021 W. Chicago Ave.-Dominicks-West Town-Element
• #4495, 533 W. Barry-(East) Lakeview-Civic Hybrid
• #4561, 3650-55 N. Wilton-Lakeview(Wrigleyville)-Civic
• #4562, 2630 N. Emmett-Logan Square Blue Line-Element

Party for I-GO Members and Friends

RSVP at Extravaganza@igocars.org! Include your name, member number, email and the number of friends you’re bringing. Don’t miss the food, drinks, music and fun! We will be giving away prizes, including I-GO driving credits, tickets to the popular musical Avenue Q, free nights at the Hotel Burnham in downtown chicago and much more!

I-GO and the Merchandise Mart

The Merchandise Mart made an I-GO hybrid car available to tenants and employees after discovering that 83% of tenants in the building do not drive themselves to work. The I-GO car allows tenants to utilize public transportation or car pool to and from work, and gives them access to a car to attend to errands, business meetings and clients.

Rhonda Langston uses I-GO for her job as showroom manager of Aldik at the Merchandise Mart.

Welcome New Business Members

• Chicago Filmakers
• David Schroeder Architects
• Green Bag Lunch

Member Tips

Oh the Weather Outside is Frightful

For those of you accustomed to winters in Chicago, you know how fickle mother nature can be and the impact on driving. A couple of easy tips can help keep car sharing this winter smooth for you and your fellow members.

1. Plan Ahead. Be sure to build extra time into your reservation to account for time needed to scrape the windshield, warm up the vehicle, drive more slowly to and from destinations. We recommend all members book an extra half hour for every reservation to avoid any late return fines.
2. Learn Your Member # and Pin. All you need to use our automated system is your member number and pin. This will save you time and will free our member services team to answer emergency calls. If you do have an emergency, knowing your member number and pin will help us assist you more quickly. I-GO’s phone number is on the dashboard of every vehicle, or you may want to program it into your cell phone: 773.278.4446.
3. Drive Carefully. We know your mother told you this and we are reinforcing her words of wisdom. Our commitment is to keep our vehicles well-maintained and safe this winter season and we expect our members to do their part by driving carefully and reporting any damage to vehicles promptly. You can report minor damage on damage report sheets in the visor of the vehicle. If you’ve been in a fender bender or accident, please call 911 and our office to report it.
4. Be Thoughtful. I-GO is special because of the thoughtful 7000 members who have committed to sharing our vehicles. If you are running late due to weather or long lines in the stores, don’t delay– call our automated system to extend your reservation. If you can’t extend, contact us as soon as possible and we will make arrangements for the next member who is scheduled to use the vehicle. Waiting for a vehicle in cold weather isn’t fun, so please be aware of your time.
5. Holiday Shopping. This is a busy time of year when a lot of you will be using I-GO vehicles to do holiday shopping. Be sure to plan ahead so you’re able to get your first choice vehicle, don’t forget to park in lighted areas, lock doors at all times and keep packages in the trunk of the vehicle or out of view when possible. It’s also important to check the vehicle at the end of your reservation so you don’t leave any packages behind. Please don’t leave any trash behind for the next member to throw away.

Neighborhood News

Andersonville

Information and photo provided by I-GO member Justin Hardesty.

Andersonville is a unique neighborhood with a bit of old and new combined to create a great mix of things to do and places to eat.

Andersonville was originally a small quiet little village of mostly Swedish immigrants north of the city proper.

But today it has become a very multicultural neighborhood on Chicago’s north side. The Swedish Bakery is the staple of this Neighborhood. Cakes, cookies, pies, bread and Swedish flop are mainstays at this Swedish specialty shop.

Art is just as plentiful as food in Andersonville. From the many art galleries to theater, you can’t go wrong here. One place that is a must stop in my book is the Neofuturarium at the SE corner of Foster and Ashland above the Nelson Funeral home, although they can be described best as anything but dead theater. Just go see Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind, their long running late night show, and you will know why!

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.

I-GO Partners with Magellan Development Group

I-GO Car Sharing is being incorporated into the Magellan Rewards program as a service being offered to Lakeshore East residents and neighbors by The Lancaster Condominium board of directors.

Magellan Rewards is provided by Lakeshore East developer Magellan Development Group as an exclusive incentive program that provides owners access to the best Chicago has to offer, from entertainment, health & fitness, in-home services, private promotions and special events.

“We are excited about this new service because it makes downtown Chicago that much more livable and affordable,” explained Vanessa Casciano, Lakeshore East community relations director. “And it is also environmentally-friendly because all I-GO cars are low-emission vehicles, so car-sharing helps ease traffic congestion and reduces pollution.”

I-GO’s Business Development Manager, Richard Kosmacher, helps explain the benefits of car sharing to residents at The Lancaster Condominium.

Copyright © 2007 I-GO Car Sharing