Sidney is now a Modo car share community.
The municipality has signed an agreement with the car share company to provide two vehicles in the town, available to people who are members of Modo’s service. People in need of a vehicle will soon be able to find them located in downtown Sidney – one parked adjacent to municipal hall on James White Boulevard and the other predominantly along Beacon Avenue.
The agreement was approved by town council May 8 and is unique in that Sidney doesn’t have the “critical mass normally required by Modo in order to initiate a car share service,” stated Director of Corporate Services Andrew Hicik in a staff report.
Chief Administrative Officer Randy Humble says the Town will contribute approximately $54,000 to the car share co-operative in the form of shares. That represents an investment in Modo funded from the municipal parking reserve fund, paid into mainly by developers in lieu of required parking spaces, eliminated in various building projects. In exchange, the Town will see a Honda Fit and Toyota Rav4 in service.
Humble said Modo is responsible for the service itself, as well as maintaining the vehicles. As an added benefit, Humble said Town staff will be able to use the vehicles, reducing the impact on their existing fleet.
In the report, Modo has guaranteed two years of service to become sustainable and both they and the Town will promote the service. The agreement could last as long as five years.
“As long as sufficient revenues are generated … the depreciation of the vehicles, along with other specified carrying costs, will be offset,” wrote Hicik.