DUBLINBIKES MOVE OVER, you have a motorised rival on the way. Dublin City Council has today awarded GoCar the first licence to operate on-street car clubs in the capital.

GoCar already operates a car sharing service in Dublin and Cork but the introduction of new Dublin bye-laws mean that anybody using the service will now be able to park their rental vehicle on any Dublin pay-and-display spaces for free.

The parking charges will be paid as part of the permit fee GoCar pays to Dublin City Council to run the service on a citywide basis.

GoCar’s current service operates with users paying a yearly subscription fee of €50 and then paying for the car rental by the number of hours used and the distance travelled.

Users can hire 50 GoCar vehicles by the hour from 31 pay-and-display locations in Dublin including Barrow Street, Arran Quay, Drumcondra and the IFSC.

Dublin South East TD Eoghan Murphy has been working to promote car sharing for a number of years and says that its widespread adoption can only be done in conjunction with local authorities:

It’s a very positive step and a big congratulations is owed to everyone in the Council for making this happen. It’s not for everyone but it will be of particular benefit to people who need to use a car but can’t afford one, people who only use a car occasionally, and families who might need access to a second car from time to time.

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