New ABQ car-sharing program allows hourly, daily rentals

Feb. 26—Looking for a car to rent by the hour or day? A new electric vehicle car-sharing program recently launched in Albuquerque, and anyone can use it.

The city is the first in the Southwest with a national community EV car-sharing program.

It's $5 per hour or $50 per day plus tax to rent the cars. Low-income residents get an extra 20% off.

The EVs are located at the PAH! Hiland Plaza Apartments off Central Avenue, which is specifically built for deaf, deafblind and hard of hearing communities.

The effort is called an Affordability Mobility Platform, launched by FORTH, a nonprofit working to electrify transportation. The project kicked off in Albuquerque on Thursday, the first city in the Southwest to join a network of locations in the U.S. with the GoForth car-sharing program.

"Affordable housing, we're definitely targeting ... For this program, that's been kind of our mission, is to bring transportation to folks that are traditionally underserved," said Stefenie Griggs, a FORTH program manager.

Before renting a car, interested users need to download the MDO Carshare App and register for a GoForth car-share account by entering a driver's license and debit or credit card. The rental fees cover specific car-sharing insurance, so personal car insurance isn't necessary.

GoForth runs a motor vehicle check and, after approval, goes through an orientation with the interested user.

From there, a person can schedule to rent the car at a specific time. The app also remotely unlocks the vehicle.

Griggs said the city of Albuquerque and the U.S. Department of Energy are helping pay for the program. The Public Service Company of New Mexico also contributed $10,000 in rebates and is proposing to support some of the future costs after federal funding expires, according to a PNM news release.

Mayor Tim Keller said in a statement the program paves the way for "a more inclusive and environmentally conscious future."

"We're keeping equity in the driver's seat and providing our communities with access to sustainable transportation options," Keller said.

Griggs said GoForth plans to set up car-sharing in Santa Fe in a few months.