I-GO

{{Infobox company

| name = I-GO

| logo = I-GOlogo.jpg

| type = Not-for-profit

| founded = {{start date|2002}} in Chicago, Illinois

| founder = Center for Neighborhood Technology

| fate = Sold to Enterprise Holdings

| successor = Enterprise CarShare

| defunct = {{end date|2013|05}}

| hq_location_city = Chicago, Illinois

| hq_location_country = United States

| area_served = Chicago, Illinois

| key_people =

| industry = Car rental

| products =

| services = Carsharing

| revenue =

| operating_income =

| net_income =

| owner = Enterprise Holdings

| parent =

| divisions =

| subsid =

| homepage = {{URL|http://www.igocars.org/}}

| footnotes =

| intl =

}}

I-GO was a Chicago-based car sharing organization which is owned by Enterprise Holdings. It was established in 2002 by the Center for Neighborhood Technology as an independent 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization working in the fields of urban livability and sustainability. I-GO was sold to Enterprise Holdings in May 2013 and re-branded as Enterprise CarShare.{{Cite web |last=Badger |first=Emily |date=May 29, 2013 |title=What Happens When a Nonprofit Car-Sharing Service Gets Bought By a Major Rental Company? |url=http://www.theatlanticcities.com/commute/2013/05/what-happens-when-nonprofit-car-sharing-service-gets-bought-major-rental-company/5727/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140310204715/http://www.theatlanticcities.com/commute/2013/05/what-happens-when-nonprofit-car-sharing-service-gets-bought-major-rental-company/5727/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 10, 2014 |access-date=2023-02-20 }}

History

2001: I-GO is created by the Center for Neighborhood Technology as the first car sharing organization in the Chicago market.
2002: I-GO begins operations as a pilot project with six cars.
April 2005: I-GO begins its suburban expansion, placing cars in Evanston, Illinois.
August 2008: I-GO and eight other leading non-profit and independent North American car sharing organizations adopt a code of ethics to specify standards and strengthen the industry.
October 2008: I-GO membership reaches 10,000.
January 2009: I-GO establishes a joint smart card with the Chicago Transit Authority, allowing I-GO members to access CTA buses and trains using a single card.
April 2009: Two plug-in hybrid electric vehicles are added to I-GO fleet; the joint effort between I-GO and ComEd is formally recognized by Governor Quinn.
May 2013: I-GO is sold to Enterprise Holdings in order to expand.{{cite news |last=Wernau |first=Julie |date=2013-05-28 |title=Enterprise buying Chicago's I-Go car service |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2013/05/28/enterprise-buying-chicagos-i-go-car-service/ |access-date=2013-07-20}}

Stated mission

I-GO’s stated mission was to reduce car ownership rates, decrease transportation costs, reduce urban congestion, and improve air quality in Chicago. It focuses on a convenient and economic way to commute without having to own a car and to reduce vehicle miles travelled and greenhouse gas emissions.{{cite web |url=http://www.igocars.org/about |title=About us : I-GO Car Sharing |publisher=Igocars.org |access-date=2010-11-27 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101125094206/http://www.igocars.org/about/ |archive-date=2010-11-25 }}

Operations

I-GO had cars located in approximately 30 Chicago neighborhoods. I-GO members reserved a vehicle online or by calling its customer service. Members could also create and modify their reservations using smartphones. Once a reservation had been created, the member accesses the reserved car using a member card. As of June 2009, I-GO had more than 12,000 members and 185 cars available for use.{{Citation needed|date=May 2023}}

The average fuel efficiency of I-GO's fleet was 35 miles per gallon, and the fleet was composed of low-emission vehicles. Approximately 40% of the fleet were hybrid vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.{{Citation needed|date=May 2023}}

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles

File:Barbara Flynn Currie 2010.jpg with a Mitsubishi i-MiEV electric car that was operated by I-GO as a trial]]

I-GO added the first two plug-in hybrid electric vehicles to its fleet of vehicles in April 2009 as a result of a joint effort with electricity provider ComEd.

Partnerships

I-GO had strategic partnerships and alliances with government offices, local businesses, as well as other non-profits and independent car sharing organizations. Among others, I-GO worked closely with the Chicago Transit Authority, City of Chicago and Chicago Park District.{{Citation needed|date=May 2023|reason=cite a newspaper to prove this statement}} Businesses such as Whole Foods and Dominick's provided parking spaces dedicated to I-GO cars, and I-GO also worked with universities, including Northwestern University, University of Chicago, Loyola University Chicago, DePaul University, University of Illinois at Chicago and Illinois Institute of Technology.{{Citation needed|date=May 2023}}