Ottawa Community Housing tenants plug into new electric vehicle carshare program

An Ottawa Community Housing neighbourhood is offering residents an easier way to get around with a new carsharing program. CTV’s Kimberley Fowler reports.

Tenants in Ottawa Community Housing (OCH) will soon have a new way to get around. A brand-new electric vehicle (EV) carsharing program rolled out on Thursday, giving residents affordable transportation options that also help the environment.

“Compared to Uber, this is much, much cheaper,” says OCH resident Linda Kramph. “I live here. I can come and rent (a car) for an hour and the good news is that I get a 60 per cent discount too.”

Two electric vehicles are now available on-site for OCH residents at a new development east of Manor Park. There is capacity to expand that to four cars as demand increases, and the charging stations are available for anyone in the community to use.

This program is partnering with Communauto, with the goal of relieving congestion on city streets, and expanding affordable, climate-friendly transportation.

Daniel Dicaire, OCH Senior Manager of Conservation and Sustainability says, “We’re trying to bring car share into our new developments, which not only brings low-carbon, low-cost mobility for our tenants, but it also helps us in reducing the parking requirements in order for us to build more housing instead of parking.”

The program gives tenants access to electric vehicles to commute to work, doctor’s appointments, or even to the grocery store, all while reducing the cost and carbon footprint of transportation.

“People want to be able to maximize their mobility options,” says Rideau-Rockcliffe Coun. Rawlson King. “Residents have a cheaper option in that they might be able to just spend a couple hundred dollars a year so that they can go and do groceries rather than literally thousands of dollars a year maintaining a car.”

The carsharing program is supported by a $250,000 investment from the RBC Foundation.

“The transition to a net-zero car is critically important for us,” says Glenn Sheen, RBC Regional Director of Marketing and Citizenship. “We give back 1 per cent of our net profits back through our foundation…so initiatives like this that actually have the intersection of social impact, but also an environmental impact are beautiful stories that we can fund.”

EVs can be booked up to 30 days in advance. Users can opt for a monthly membership which can start between $5 to $10, or lighter EV users can pay per trip, which is calculated by hour and distance travelled.

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