Peg City Car Co-op celebrates 10 years

Horns are honking for Peg City Car Co-op, as the local and ever-expanding carsharing company is celebrating an amazing milestone with 10 years in business! 

On September 24, the organization held their WALK BIKE BUS Birthday Bash, a public event at The Beer Can downtown, complete with beer, tacos and live performances by M.C. LUV and Wanda G, plus drag performances by Prairie Sky, Cake, Rose Mortel, Special K and Lady Fortuna. What a great way to celebrate!

We spoke with Colby Deighton, Peg City’s Member Services Coordinator, to learn more about the festivities, what 10 years in business means to the organization, and what the future of carsharing in Manitoba has in store.

What makes everyone at Peg City so excited to celebrate 10 years?

Colby: We love and believe in carsharing! Whether you walk, bike, bus, scoot, wheelchair, taxi or sometimes carshare, we want to celebrate the many ways in which people move through this city. Our birthday bash was a way to share that celebration with our team, carshare members and community. 

Another way we celebrated was online through our Photo Contest, a throwback to one of our first-ever Instagram contests: the Walk Bike Bus Photo contest. Our audience had two weeks to submit photos celebrating multi-modal transportation in Winnipeg.

How has Peg City Car Co-op expanded over 10 years?

Colby: Our service has made it possible for our over 2,000 members to have 24/7 access to a car, without the hassles that come along with ownership. Over the last 10 years, we’ve grown from a fleet of 3 to over 60 vehicles, reaching 12 neighbourhoods throughout Winnipeg. 

Carsharing must also change the way people get around, and their lifestyles?

Colby: Absolutely. We’ve heard stories of members telling realtors that they would only look at houses near Peg City car locations. 

And our service has a wider impact on car usage and green action. Over 55% of our members have gotten rid of a car or chosen not to purchase one because of our service. This has resulted in over 1,000 cars taken off of city streets. On top of that, our members have also reduced their collective greenhouse gas emissions by 3,000 megatonnes per year!

Has user adoption and ridership changed in unexpected ways over the years?

Colby: We’ve started to see folks sign up who would not be considered “early adopters,” in the usual sense. And as new vehicles are placed in various neighbourhoods, we see new members joining Peg City. This tells us that the need for an alternative to private car ownership exists throughout the city for folks in a wide range of contexts.

How have you navigated the past year and a half, and helped customers become comfortable using shared cars during a pandemic?

Colby: The early days of the pandemic were certainly the most challenging. However, once it became clear that the illness was not primarily transmitted via physical contact with objects, folks became far more confident that they could safely use our service. Throughout the last year and a half, we have significantly increased our cleaning efforts, adding by-request sanitization for folks considered to be at-risk or immuno-compromised, and we have installed hand sanitizer in each vehicle for members’ convenience. 

Peg City all offers a “business membership” option for organization. How have those offerings evolved? 

Colby: Yes, there are both personal and business plans. We currently have a wide range of membership offerings for businesses ranging from mom & pop businesses with less than five drivers and non-profit organizations through to larger corporate offices. So there is something for every company—big, small or in-between.

Employees can use carsharing instead of personal vehicles to get to meetings, and companies can use Peg City as an employee perk. Drivers receive a personal key fob and an online account, and each booking includes a time and distance calculation so you have quick and easy tracking.  

What is in the works for the future of Peg City? 

Colby: In short, more cars! 

We’re growing our fleet to better serve our members and expand the service to new neighbourhoods. We’ll also be driving forward in a green direction. Beginning 2022, we will begin to replace our conventional motor vehicles with plug-in hybrid electric models. Next year, 33% of all new vehicle purchases will be hybrids.

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Learn more about Peg City Car Co-op and their mission to provide an affordable, convenient transportation option to everyone in the community. Interested in joining Peg City? See their personal membership and business plan options. Happy carsharing!