Car sharing company coming to Mayo

THE car sharing company GoCar are setting up an operation in Castlebar this month.

They will be based at three locations in the town, with cars at the Castle Street and Market Square car parks and a shared van at the Mall.

Their arrival, as part of an expansion across the country, was welcomed by Castlebar Municipal District councillors who received a presentation on their plans from Rob Kearns, head of growth with GoCar.

GoCar operate over 800 vehicles at more than 600 sites across the country and up to now have largely been concentrated in Dublin and the east.

The three sites in Castlebar will be coming on stream in the next few weeks.

With GoCar, multiple people can use the same vehicle. When signed up, you look online for use of a vehicle from as little as an hour, up to seven days.

The vehicle opens via an app and fuel and insurance are covered in the price paid.

Shared vans, Mr. Kearns explained, are a flexible option for SMEs and also local residents, for example when purchasing white goods of moving house.

Final logistics are being worked out and when in place, the company will roll out the cars.

The cathaoirleach, Councillor Blackie Gavin, said it was an excellent idea, which has worked well in other parts of the country.

The council fully supported it and he wished the company well.