It’s official! Modo, the Vancouver-based car share, has added an accessible van (#521) to its 300-vehicle fleet.
The Accessibility Van is now available for pickup at the City Hall Parking Lot, just above the Broadway-City Hall skytrain station, and seats four passengers plus a wheelchair user. With a folding ramp and rear entrance, as well as tie-down straps, the 2013 silver Dodge is both secure and convenient—though you’ll still need an able-bodied friend with a Modo membership to drive it.
This may be the non-profit company’s first foray into the world of accessible travel, but Modo’s reach and clientele are wide. What began as a two-car, 16-member venture in 1997, now counts over 10,000 “carsharers” with access to hundreds of vehicles—from trucks and convertibles, to hybrids, electrics and, now, an accessible van—in over 250 locations around Metro Vancouver. Rental rates are equal for nearly all sets of Modo wheels: from $3 to $7.50 per hour, depending on membership type, with up to 200 kilometres included free of charge with each booking. Insurance, gas, maintenance, BCAA roadside assistance, Lower Mainland toll bridges, and resident or permit parking are thrown in, gratis, as well.
For a car-company that aims “to turn car owners into carsharers” the move towards diverse usability is right on point. Eligible drivers can choose a membership package online, then book the Accessibility Van (#1) on the website or by phone. It’s still “like-minded people sharing the costs of and access to cars”—except finally that access is, well, accessible. Head to www.modo.coop for details.
For more on Accessible Transit, pick up our Summer issue of The Spin magazine. And let us know: what can municipalities around British Columbia do to make transit even more accessible?
