Share Now, formerly Car2Go, to end service in North America in February
The car-share service Share Now, formerly known as Car2Go, said Wednesday it will shut down operations in North America early next year.
The German company, which recently merged with the car-share service DriveNow under the name Share Now, says its last day of service will be Feb. 29, 2020.
In Canada, the service operates in Vancouver and Montreal. Vancouver boasted more than 192,000 Car2Go members in January 2019, making it the company’s top market in North America.
The closure will also affect riders in Chicago, New York City, Seattle and Washington.
The company blamed the shutdown on the «volatile state of the global mobility landscape» — citing increased competition among car-share services, rising operating costs and the lack of infrastructure to support new technology such as electric vehicles.
The Stuttgart-based company said in a statement it will also stop operating in London, Brussels and Florence, Italy due to low usage. It will continue to operate in 18 other cities in Europe including Berlin, Amsterdam and Madrid.
«We deeply regret the inconvenience this decision causes,» Share Now said.
The company recently suffered major setbacks in North America.
It pulled out of Toronto in May 2018, blaming new city rules that rendered its service «inoperable,» and abruptly left Calgary in October, where it was the only car-share service in operation. It also exited Denver; Portland, Ore.; Austin, Texas; and Chicago.
Car2Go merged with the European car-service Drive Now in February 2019 under the name Share Now (although the fleet’s branding in Canada stayed largely the same).
Share Now said it’s pivoting to electric vehicles as part of its future strategy.
