CHICAGO INNOVATION AWARDS

I-GO Car Sharing

I-GO Car Sharing and the CTA formed an unprecedented collaboration—between a major public transit agency and a non-profit car-sharing organization—to create the nation’s first joint smart card combining both modes of transportation.

Launched in January 2009, the Chicago Card Plus/I-GO Card provides access to CTA buses and trains, Pace buses, and every car in I-GO’s metropolitan-wide fleet. Besides the technical integration involved in the production of the card itself, the partnership involved a major undertaking in integrating the two organization’s data-sharing systems as well.

I-GO has car locations in more than 30 neighborhoods, including Evanston and Oak Park (with further suburban expansion underway), and every car is within close proximity of a CTA rail line or bus route. Many are located directly at rail stations.

The new card makes it easier to transition from one mode of transportation to the other, integrating car sharing with public transit as the first step towards a seamless regional sustainable transportation system. The program also emphasizes both organizations’ environmental initiatives. I-GO uses only low-emission, fuel-efficient vehicles (gas-electric hybrids make up nearly half the fleet, and I-GO also has two plug-in hybrid electrics), and is focused on lowering greenhouse gas emissions and urban congestion by reducing car ownership. Public transit complements I-GO’s mission, and CTA has made important eco-conscious progress as well, such as its implementation of hybrid buses.