The City of Kelowna wants to make the city denser, and the province has set electric vehicle targets, and car sharing could be a way to help both levels of government reach those goals.

Modo is a car sharing service that allows people to rent cars for short periods, similar to bike and scooter services like Lime.

Modo’s CEO Sandra Phillips said half of the company’s clients reported being able to eliminate one of their personal vehicles in the past year.

“In 2023, about a third of our members told us that they've given up one car. This year, it's been over 50 per cent and I think that has a lot to do with the economic conditions at the moment,” she said.

With services like Lime people are able to hop on a bike or scooter wherever they find one and end their ride at any time. Modo isn’t quite as convenient since customers have to reserve a car, plan their trip and then drop the vehicle off at the same location where they picked it up.

Kelowna’s Official Community Plan aims to densify the city, and the provincial government aims to reduce emissions and make all new cars electric by 2035.

Phillips said Modo is working with developers building apartments to coordinate car share availability with housing.

“We're actively working with local developers that are working on the densification of Kelowna to expand car share options further,” she said. “This is an approach we're taking in the Okanagan, and across B.C., because it helps bring more sustainable transportation options to where people live and then connect them with where they have to go.”

In addition to helping people get rid of extra personal vehicles, Modo’s fleet is 13 per cent electric and it aims to increase that to 20 per cent by the end of 2025.

READ MORE: Kelowna working on plan for public transit corridor from downtown to Mission

Part of the company’s collaboration with developers is trying to get electric vehicle infrastructure put into new developments.

“If we can get it in from the start, then it's much easier for us to have electric vehicles,” Phillips said. 

A Modo membership costs a one time fee of $500, and a regular car costs about $5 an hour and $0.35 per kilometre. A four hour shopping trip with a Modo car in Kelowna would cost about $40.

Renting a Lime scooter costs $0.35 a minute so to use one for four straight hours would cost $85.

“It really boils down to what people want to do, right? If you may go out with friends at night and then need a way home and you just hop on a Lime scooter, that makes perfect sense. Or you're going and run a bunch of errands and then obviously you need a vehicle to do that,” Phillips said.

Both services, although different vehicles, are a way to reduce reliance on personal cars.

There are hundreds of Lime bikes and scooters in Kelowna, but Modo only has about 20 cars in the city.

Phillips said the company plans on expansion.

“We’ve grown the fleet by 60 per cent since 2018, and we’re actively working to expand.”

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