modo moves

North Vancouver

VEHICLE UPGRADE at St. Andrews + E 3rd, a green 2011 Mazda 2 hatchback.

Vancouver - West End

VEHICLE UPGRADE at 1080 Barclay, a blue 2009 Honda Fit hatchback.

TEMPORARY CLOSURE at Barclay Place due to construction.

VEHICLE UPGRADE at Crystal Court, a green 2011 Mazda 2 hatchback. The PT Cruiser (featured in the lead item) has now been retired. Thank you, PT Cruiser!

Vancouver - Downtown + Yaletown

VEHICLE UPGRADES at Stadium SkyTrain and Marinaside; both locations now have a green 2011 Mazda 2 hatchback.

Looking for more locations? Visit www.modo.coop/find.

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bike racks

We have 10 vehicles in our fleet equipped with bike racks. Members love to use these vehicles to get to nearby trails and enjoy our great outdoors. This past year, Modo has focused on replacing all old bike rack units with a more user-friendly model. These racks have worked out wonderfully for us; in the last 20 months we have not had a single maintenance-related service call about bike racks.

If you're looking for a Modo vehicle with a bike rack, just check "bike rack" under "Required Features" when making a new booking.

Photo courtesy of Modo member Chris Porter.

carsharing tips

double-action foot-activated e-brakes

These double-action foot-activated emergency brakes are located left of the brake pedal. Step down part way to set the brake. To release the brake, step on the pedal all the way and it will pop back up. If the e-brake is on, you'll notice a (!) signal on the dash information display. These types of e-brakes are typically found in Dodge Grand Caravans and Toyota Priuses.

summer festivities + parking shortages

Metro Vancouver is full of fun activities in the summer to get us outside and into our neighbourhoods. It's not our fantasy but often people will drive to those festivities and take up street parking, or sections of streets might have temporary parking restrictions. Please co-operate with neighbours; when returning a Modo vehicle if you need to park somewhere other than the home location, call our office and we'll be sure to alert the next member.

the modo cheat sheet

Everyone can use helpful hints and reminders for carsharing – especially if it’s been a while since your last booking. Now you can download the simple and straightforward Important Sheet from our website. It’s important stuff to remember before, during, and after your booking. Save it on your smart phone for added convenience.

fruit to go

Unwanted fruit in your backyard? If you live in the City of Vancouver, call the Vancouver Fruit Tree Project! Their priority this summer is rescuing unpicked fruit. Volunteers will come to your tree and do the picking. The best part is the fruit will go to community organizations in your neighbourhood. All this is free of charge!

Call Erica at 778-960-5232 or email coordinator@vancouverfruittree.com to arrange a fruit picking. It’s best to call about a week before the fruit completely ripens.

Photo courtesy of Tallulah Photography.

fuel up + pay down your bill

It's sometimes inconvenient to fill up the fuel tank at the end of your booking, but imagine how much worse it is for the next member to arrive to a car on ‘empty’.

Sharing the responsibility of fuelling up is part of successful carsharing and because Modo reimburses you for fuel, it’s a great way to pay down your bill. If the gauge is at 1/4 or more, it’s not your turn!

transit funding - there's no "plan B"

Transit funding has been a hot topic in our region. Opinions about sources for funding TransLink vary widely but most people agree that only planning for more cars on more roads is not sustainable or healthy. Modo is a voice on the Sustainable Transportation Coalition (STC), a group who supports a range of funding sources to allow TransLink to complete the 2040 plan and create a truly sustainable transportation system for our region.

On Tuesday, July 26, 2011, the STC sent letters to Premier Clark and the Mayor’s Council applauding the mayors’ vote for the 2-cent increase in gas tax and encouraging continued discussion for diverse transit funding sources.

Modo is a sustainable transportation activist organization and along with the STC, we support the following additional sources of funding because they are saleable, sufficient, and sustainable: a portion of the post-2012 carbon tax, an annual graduated vehicle registration fee, and smart road pricing. We encourage Modo members to be part of the conversation to support a diverse range of options for long-term funding for transit in our region: write letters to the Premier, your MLA or news sources, or post comments on articles and blogs. It’s our region and we want it to be healthy and sustainable!