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This article was published 20/10/2017 (1067 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Peg City Car Co-op, Manitoba’s only carsharing company, moved into Wolseley this past January.

To its fleet and "stations" (dedicated locations for vehicle pick-up and drop-off), it added a car and stall to the parking lot at 272 Evanson, near Preston, kitty-corner from the Old Grace Housing Co-op now under construction.

A second Wolseley-area station was established in September, behind the new residential complex on the southwest corner of Maryland and Westminster. In 2018, another station will be added to the Evanson location, when the nearby housing co-op is completed.

Peg City Car Co-op operations manager Philip Mikulec said, "Early Wolseley (carshare) adopters used locations in West Broadway."

There have been stations there since 2013, including Langside at Sara and by the Nine Circles Community Health Centre. Mikulec calls the Wolseleyside usage "positive" and hopes for more member uptake in coming months.

Wolseley joins downtown, the Exchange, West Broadway, Osborne Village and St. Boniface with neighbourhood access to a service where group members (also casual users) share the cost and benefit of automobile ownership. Currently, there are about 800 car co-op users in Winnipeg, around 500 having member accounts and the rest being family associates, or casual users (one-off or possibly monthly subscribers).

A user books a car online, ideally 24 hours before needing it. Depending on vehicle availability, a booking can be made a few hours before use — or even a year in advance.

Former Wolseleyite Bruce Michalski, a co-op member since his car "met a timely end" three years ago said, "It’s a seamless, easy program. They set you up (into their system) in a couple of days. It’s very impressive."

He and his wife walk downtown to work from Osborne Village, but use co-op vehicles for shopping and taking his mother to appointments. Still, his mother asks, "When are you going to get your own car?"

Carsharing is particularly attractive to individuals and families who use a car infrequently, or need an additional one occasionally. It is not meant to compete with mass transit and is an adjunct to active transportation.

As the tagline of the company’s comprehensive website declares: "Bike. Walk. Bus. And sometimes, drive (pegcitycarcoop.ca)."

Net effects of carsharing include traffic and pollution reduction. Carsharing has also netted new residents for Wolseley. In April, Ginny Collins and her partner chose our neighbourhood over two other contenders, largely because the Evanson carshare station would enhance their options as cyclists.

Gail Perry is a community correspondent for Wolseley. She can be reached at: gailperry.writer@gmail.com