CTA enters car-sharing partnership

The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) entered into a yearlong partnership with a car-sharing company that will put rental cars in spaces adjacent to or near CTA bus and train stops.

CTA’s board of directors voted to start the pilot program with I-GO car sharing, allowing people without a car to rent one on a pay-as-you-go system and then return the car to designated spaces.

According to the Chicago Tribune, customers in need of a vehicle can get one with a a one-time membership fee of $75 and a usage fee of $6 an hour and 50 cents per mile.

CTA officials said the program is beneficial to transit because research shows that car-sharing programs, an idea borrowed from Europe, increase use of public transportation.