SALEM – The city partnering with the world’s leading digital car sharing marketplace launches the Innovative Community Car Share Program “Getaround Salem” as its public service. This public-private partnership provides shared mobility options for the community through accessible, affordable car sharing.
“Salem has been on the forefront of pioneering and piloting new ways to reduce the number of private passenger vehicles on our roads,” said Mayor Kim Driscoll.
According to him, this service will help address traffic congestion, as well as lessen the community’s carbon footprint and contributions to the climate crisis, and Getaround Salem will offer one more innovative tool to allow Salem residents to live in “our city car-free or car-light.”
Getaround provides contactless 24/7 access to nine hybrid all-wheel drive Ford Escape vehicles based at designated parking spaces across the city. The location of the vehicle is available at the Getaround mobile application on Apple and Android devices or at the website www.salemma.gov/getaround.
Residents can reserve the shared vehicles on an hourly basis, starting at $10/hour, but varying depending on time of day, day of the week, and the duration of use. According to the official press release from the mayor’s office, car reservations on an hourly basis are effective, as privately owned cars are typically parked 95 percent of the time and on the move only six hours per week.
Along with the newly launched car share, the City of Salem offers an array of safe and accessible services to move around the city, including the Bluebikes bike share, the Salem Skipper, the MBTA bus and commuter rail service, as well as free rides for Salem residents on the Salem Trolley in season and Salem Ferry service to and from Boston.
Getaround and the City of Salem collaborated on adding to the city’s existing efficient and reliable multimodal transportation system that accommodates all users — pedestrians, bicyclists, transit riders, and drivers.
The new service was officially launched May 25. Mayor Driscoll, State Rep. Paul Tucker, Salem City Council President Patti Morsillo, Salem Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Rinus Oosthoek, and Getaround Government Partnerships Manager Adrienne Moretz participated in the event.
Moretz said the company was excited to work with the city to provide an additional mobility option for community members that can have a positive impact on the environment by reducing congestion and improving air quality.
“This car share program will serve as a complement to other transportation modes in the city, making alternatives to driving alone an easy choice for all types of trips,” said Moretz.
Getaround Vice President of Marketplace Nick Tenekedes said that expanding Getaround’s services into the City of Salem was a major milestone for the company and for its vision of making cities and communities better places to live, by “empowering people with convenient access to the cars they need, when they need them.”
“We look forward to partnering with the city and helping them achieve their mission to provide affordable and equitable transportation for all,” said Tenekedes.
According to the mayor’s office official press release, peer-to-peer car sharing means fewer cars on the road. On average, one car sharing vehicle replaces 9 to 13 private cars. This results in fewer accidents, reduced traffic and pollution, and less space needed for parking. Car sharing can also significantly reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases and harmful substances into the environment.
Salem is the first city of 950 where Getaround is active to offer the program as a public service. Getaround connects safe, convenient, and affordable cars with people who need them to live and work. For more information, please visit Getaround.com, or download the iPhone or Android app.
Oksana Kotkina can be reached at [email protected].
