Cars of Belonging
Though I’ve had my driver’s license since I was a teenager, for ten years I’ve lived in Montreal as a pedestrian. Until now! A few weeks ago I signed up for car2go*, a car sharing program in numerous North American cities, Montreal one of them. The concept is pretty simple: in certain neighbourhoods car2go cars are parked on the street, unlockable with a swipe of your membership card. You can find cars near you with an app on your phone. No reservations needed. Just hop in and go.
However, what I think is even more interesting than the basic logistics and obvious benefits to accessing cars at a relatively cheap price, is the unexpected sense of belonging or ownership I feel. The cars employed by car2go are extremely identifiable and identical. The effect this has is one of familiarity and recognition. Attributes one might expect to have with owning a vehicle. In fact, every time I see a little car2go car, I point and say “oh look!” or whisper “hi little car” as though I were walking past my beloved red 1987 Honda civic hatch-back from long ago. There is a familiarity created through sameness rather than uniqueness. The opportunity to form memories is not lost because you continue to build a relationship with different, yet identical cars. It’s fascinating.
I understand this is effective and smart commercial branding, long used by companies such as Apple or McDonald's, who depend on their users feeling at ease regardless of which machine or branch they choose. This corporate sameness can be depressing for champions of uniqueness and authenticity. In fact, McDonald's and other similar fast food joints have been criticized and sometimes blamed for the decline of the old-school diner which produced belonging through its familiar atmosphere—a quality embedded in place rather than mass-duplication. Success has proven that both can produce inclusion, but in different ways.
Regardless, I definitely feel comfortable with car2go which, perhaps ironically, promotes a less car-centric city through community sharing. Feeling attached to my little car, because it’s the same as hundreds of others, is okay with me.
In the same vein, another attribute of car2go that struck a chord with my sense of belonging is its access to parking. The car comes with a parking permit for all residential areas (within participating districts). It’s like having a super-parking pass. Because residential parking permits are notoriously difficult to obtain and often dominated by home owners, versus those of us who rent, even parking on your own street can be a problem. car2go levels the playing field and makes those of us who come and go equals.
Mobility is inherently associated with freedom and I’ve definitely felt like many parts of the city are more available and those laborious tasks on foot or bicycle all of a sudden feel doable.
*Unfortunately car2go no longer operates in Montreal. However, I have been able to find a similar sense of community with Communauto.
