After a long period of incubation from committed community groups, the Okanagan Car Share Co-op has commenced operations with two vehicles in Kelowna, Canada. Located in a beautiful valley known for fruit growing and wineries, rapid population growth has not been matched with developments in public transit. As a result, the City of Kelowna has the highest rate of car ownership in the country.
Founders Christian Brandt and Angela Nagy worked together with officials at the City of Kelowna, development consultant Urban Systems and the local credit union Interior Savings to put together a financial and operational plan for the carshare. Before launching, OGO (as it the carshare is known locally) was successful in getting local businesses to become members of the co-op, negotiating an agreement for free on-street parking provided by the city, and obtaining start-up funding from the Community Investment Fund to buy the first vehicles.
The CarSharing Association is pleased to welcome grassroots, community-based carsharing organizations into membership. We wish the Okanagan Car Share Co-op good luck! The CarSharing Association is here to help you succeed in transforming car owners into car sharers.