Ithaca Carshare and TCAT team up to reward those who sold their cars in June

June 27th, 2012

As part of of the the Get Your Greenback Tompkins campaign, Ithaca Carshare and TCAT teamed up in May to challenge Ithacans to walk the walk by offering their biggest promotion yet: $850 in transportation solutions to anyone who sold a car and signed up for Ithaca Carshare.  Those who submitted proof of sale of their car earned a free annual It's My Car membership with Ithaca Carshare. Those who also shared great stories about their reduced driving lifestyle received an annual TCAT bus pass and an additional $250 in Ithaca Carshare driving credit. The two partners are pleased to announce that four new carsharing members took this step in June, committing to replacing a personal vehicle with carsharing and riding the bus. 

New member Scott Doyle shared that while he's always had a value of limiting personal car use, with the birth of his two daughters came the addition of a second car for their family. An adopted old Nissan Sentra came in handy for those times when one girl needed to be at gymnastics and the other at the doctor at the same time, but it quickly became a logistical and maintenance nuisance. As Scott thought about his options, his daughters helped him make the decision to get rid of that Sentra once and for all.  "Both of my sweet girls were born with a congenital heart disease that required open-heart surgeries before they were 3 months old. In addition to regular cardiology check ups, part of the key to their long-term health is encouraging them to lead active lifestyles. Looking for opportunities out of and away from cars is one of those great opportunities. Living in the city, riding our bikes  and having access to Ithaca Carshare for those trips that require a little added effort when our Prius is tied up is the perfect recipe for advocating - and modeling - active living. And you know what? My girls love it. It happens to be much more social, exciting and fun. Ithaca Carshare plays a big role in heart healthy living - especially in my household!"  Doyle's old Sentra was donated to The International Children's Heart Foundation (http://www.babyheart.org/) in order to support a heart surgery overseas for a child like his girls.


Even for those living outside the city, carsharing can be a practical transportation option when paired with the TCAT bus service. Jeanne Lecesse and Dominic Frongillo heard about the challenge and decided it was time to tie the car-knot. The couple has been together five years, and have learned to use multiple modes of transportation to go back and forth between downtown Ithaca (where Jeanne lives) and Caroline (where Dominic lives) and everywhere else they need to go. Jeanne is able leave the car at her home and bike or walk to work every day. Dominic travels into town from Caroline for work and meetings using TCAT and his bike. The TCAT bus stop is conveniently located at the Caroline Town Hall - a quick bike ride from his house.  Lecesse remarked that  "Through planning and a little bit of flexibility we've pleasantly discovered that we don't have a need for two cars even though we live in two different places. On any given day we bike, walk, take TCAT and drive together wherever we need to go. Ithaca Carshare has made it possible for us to have an extra car available when we both need a car such as when one of us takes our car for a long, extended trip. We are very excited to sell one car and even more excited to have joined Ithaca Carshare!"

For those who are considering taking that step and selling your car, Ithaca Carshare plans to run the offer again in September,  the next transportation-themed month in the Get your Greenback campaign. Until then, you can check out Get Your Greenback online at http://getyourgreenbacktompkins.org/  for promotions and events taking place in July and August along the themes of waste reduction, local food, and energy reduction.

Media Contact - Anna Cook, Operations Director, Ithaca Carshare 607-277-3210 x3