Car sharing is coming to the streets of Minneapolis.
The City Council signed off Friday on a two-year pilot program that will let several car-sharing companies leave vehicles at on-street parking spots.
City leaders hope that raising the number of vehicles and bringing them out in the open — shared cars now live in private ramps — will convince more city residents to ditch their own vehicles.
The expanded car sharing could begin this summer, according to Transportation Committee chairwoman Sandy Colvin Roy.
The city's original plan granted on-street spots exclusively to a German company, Car2Go, which specializes in two-seat Smart Cars. Customers of a local car sharing company, Hourcar, which has been seeking the same privilege for years, hammered city leaders on social media for the decision.
The grass-roots campaign paid off. On Friday, Council Members Robert Lilligren and Betsy Hodges amended the pilot on-street program to include multiple vendors. The other companies that had expressed interest were Hertz on Demand and Zipcar.
The companies have different models. Customers of Car2Go, for example, will likely be able to leave the cars in whichever on-street spot they wish, allowing for more one-way usage. Hourcar, on the other hand, will likely have specific spots designated around the city.
Colvin Roy said the companies will reimburse the city for use of street right-of-way, which will offset lost parking revenue. Those details must be determined in the final contracts.
