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2015: Peg City Car Co-op Issues a New Round of Investment Shares! SOLD OUT.

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Peg City Car Co-op has issued $87,500 in investment shares to support expansion of its fleet. The purchase deadline is December 13, 2015.

New vehicles added in 2013

The offering is being issued under the Province’s Community Enterprise Development  (CED) Tax Credit program. Manitoba resident investors and eligible corporations can receive a 45% income tax credit on their investment.

This investment drive builds on two previous share offerings issued by the car co-op. An initial offering in 2012 raised $66,500 and assisted Peg City to grow its fleet from 4 to 9 vehicles. The following year, a second round raised an additional $46,000. The success of these campaigns has assisted Peg City to grow to 18 cars which are shared by 550 members.

“These shares offer a great opportunity for Manitobans who want to invest their money in a local business,” says Liz Dykman, Board President. “Purchasing shares not only allows the carshare to expand, it also allows investors to take advantage of the amazing 45% income tax credit offered by the Province.”

Individual investment shares are $100 each and can be purchased in multiples. Interested investors should contact Peg City Car Co-op directly or visit www.www.pegcitycarcoop.ca/invest.

 

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2014 Member Survey Results

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Ok, ok, so we’re a little slow on this post. Once a year since 2013 we have been asking our members to fill out a survey so that we can find out how we are doing and plan for the future. We are a co-op after all, so member ideas and opinions do matter to us a whole lot.

The answers are often interesting, so we thought we would post some of them here.

OUR MEMBERS

We like to know why our members chose to join the carshare. It should come as no surprise that some of the most reported answers were that “access to car when needed” (90.1%), “saving time and money on transportation” (67.8%) and “vehicle maintenance” (76%) are the most common responses.

What do our members use the vehicles for? The #1 response is grocery shopping (73.7%) but our members are also a social bunch, because social outings and recreation came in a close second at 66.7%.

They’re also tech-savvy and independent:

MEMBER SERVICE

One of the most common questions we get from prospective members is, “Will I be able to book a car when I need one?” We do our best to offer our members a closely linked network of vehicles to choose from, in case the closest vehicle to them is booked when try to book it. We’re pleased to find out that our members are easily able to book a vehicle when they need one 91% of the time.

An astounding 84.2% of our membership reported being very satisfied with our customer service and 97% report they are very satisfied or satisfied overall with their experience with Peg City Car Co-op.

Our members are our best advertising! An amazing 97.1% of our members are either happy or very happy to tell others about Peg City Car Co-op!

OUR IMPACT

While it feels great to be loved, it is also nice to receive some validation that we are achieving what we set to do — that is, provide our members with a viable alternative to a car-centric lifestyle.

First we asked how our members how they normally get to and from work. Cycling and transit appear to the most popular transportation choices for our members.

Next we asked them if joining the carshare allowed them to sell or otherwise get rid of a vehicle:

Impressively, we are pleased to report that nearly 1/3 of our members got rid of at least one of their vehicles within the first year of joining the carshare. Additionally, 46% of our membership stated that if the carshare didn’t exist they would almost certainly or probably buy/lease a vehicle.

It is worth noting that 33.4% of those members who had moved recently reported that the location of carshare vehicles played at least some role in their decision making on where to live.

We take member feedback pretty seriously, and member responses also help us to decide where to locate our next cars. Expect some changes in the next few months as we plan our expansion throughout spring and summer.

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New Rates Starting October 1

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Due to increasing operational and expansion costs, the Peg City Car Co-op board and staff have decided to increase rates — effective October 1. Current members were notified of this change via email in early August.

The new rates are posted here, but can all also be viewed with greater detail on our RATES page.

This June we celebrated our 3rd anniversary and our 300th member. We currently have 14 cars in rotation and are working on moving into St. Boniface in the near future. As a small, grassroots co-op, our steady growth and the ongoing support of our membership gives us great confidence that Peg City Car Co-op will continue to meet the needs of new members and new neighbourhoods.

As a co-op, we understand that part of our mandate is to provide the best service at the most affordable price for our members, while ensuring the long-term viability of the business. Since launching in 2011, we have made it a point to review our price structure on a regular basis and amend them as needed. For example, on May 1, 2013 we went from one rate option to three options (Member, Member+ and Casual Driver) to accommodate different transportation needs.

The past two years have seen an exciting growth in membership and our network of cars. With this experience has come the realization that our rates need to increase for long-term viability. In the future, we anticipate rates to remain relatively flat and anticipate any rate changes will only reflect increased costs of doing business.

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Members write about living car-free

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As a co-op we are so lucky to have so many great members join us on this great carshare adventure in Winnipeg. In the past week, two of our members have written blog posts about their experiences.

Vanessa Meads celebrated her third year living without a car by joining Peg City Car Co-op:

Last week I decided that the anniversary of my liberation from vehicle ownership was as good a thing as any to celebrate, and I purchased a membership that will allow me to reserve and use any of the Peg City cars for $4/hr + $0.25/km. This solution will allow me to access a vehicle for those times that cycling or taking the bus isn’t an option without the financial burden of owning my own or the physical cost of giving up active transportation.

Member Jessica Ehlers wrote a post explaining why living without a car works for her family:

We have intentionally built our current lifestyle to be car-free – everything from where we live to where Miles goes to school and the activities he participates in and dentists and doctors have been chosen at least partly so that we wouldn’t need a car.  Also, we realize we can do this because of the season of life we’re in.  As our situation changes (boys grow and start new activities, I get a new job, etc.), we will very likely end up with a car.

We love hearing why members choose to join the carshare. Got a story to share? Let us know!

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Bike to Work Day 2014

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Bike to Work Day is always a special day for us because it was the day we launched in 2011! This year we turn 3 years old and just recently celebrated our 300th member!

2014-06-20 09.54.13


We had a great morning hanging out with Little Sister Coffee who provided lucky cyclists with freshly brewed coffee.

Little Sister Cofee

Thanks for another great morning bicycle-riding friends!

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Peg City Car Co-op + St. Boniface

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In French carsharing is “autopartage” — which is what Peg City Car Co-op would like to bring to St. Boniface this summer!

Since we launched 3 years ago members of the St. Boniface community have been asking when it was going to be their turn. This year is it!

However, we need your support. Just like we did back in 2011 when we asked the people of Winnipeg to support us in getting up and running, we need the support of St. Boniface residents to help us succeed in the neighbourhood. To do that we need members!

So come, have a conversation with us. We’ll drink some wine, eat some snacks and build a plan to make this happen.

https://www.pegcitycarcoop.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Recruitment-event-St-B-FINAL.jpg
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This Fleet has 12 Cars

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We have the best news. After a long, hard winter, spring has arrived. With it comes expansion season! In the past week we’ve added 3 new Honda Fits to the mix. THIS FLEET HAS 12 CARS. Our goal is to form a strong network of cars that are never placed more than a 10 minute walk apart.

This is what that looks like (it’s happening):

-TWELVE-

We have added 3 new locations to help fill in the network:

1. Nassau/McMillan — Nassau Street Church

Looking out onto McMillan
Looking out onto McMillan

2. South Osborne — Lord Roberts Community Centre

Lord Roberts CC
Lord Roberts CC

3. Donald/St. Mary — Downtown

Facing out to St. Mary

This is only the beginning of this year’s expansion. We are fast approaching 300 members and we are just over a month from our 3rd anniversary.

All we need now is more sunshine.

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Deadline to Purchase Shares: March 31

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First things first, thanks to everyone who has already taken advantage of the opportunity to invest in us and benefit from the 30% tax credit! So far we’ve raised nearly $40,000! The investments you made will go toward expanding our fleet starting in early April!

If you haven’t invested yet, the deadline is March 31st.

How will the funds be used? We are growing in size (fleet and membership) every year. In addition to purchasing new vehicles and expanding our service into new neigbourhoods, your investments will go to providing employment to the equivalent of 2 full-time employees.

Business has been good, but we can’t do it without the support of community members like you!

If you need more info, visit www.www.pegcitycarcoop.ca/invest , there’s even a hand FAQ section if you need it.

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A New Year, A New Opportunity to Invest!

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A new year and a new opportunity to help us grow!

We are once again offering investment shares for purchase to our members and supportors. Last year we successfully raised  $66,800 in investment shares.

We have been busy the past year putting these investments to work. We were able to double the fleet (we now have nine cars!), introduce our service in more neighbourhoods and make carsharing available to more than 250 members and drivers.

New vehicles added in 2013

~We want to do it again~

This year our goal is to raise $50,000 in investment shares by March 31, 2014. This money will allow us to continue to expand carsharing into even more neighbourhoods and ensure the car co-op’s sustainability in the long run.

You can help make this happen by purchasing shares and/or sharing this message. Just like last year, shares are available for $100 each.

INVEST IN LESS: Peg City Car Co-op from Peg City Car Co-op on Vimeo.

Once again Peg City’s investment shares have been approved as an eligible enterprise under the Province of Manitoba’s Community Enterprise Development (CED) Tax Credit Program. This means that come tax time you will be eligible to claim a tax credit of 30% of the amount of your investment. Different than a donation, your investment is an opportunity to help you community while earning a return over time.

Find more information visit: www.www.pegcitycarcoop.ca/invest

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Just in Time for the Holidays: Gift Certificates

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Have a favourite Peg City Car Co-op member on your gift-giving list this holiday season?  Why not give the gift of driving credits?

From now until the end of December, you can purchase driving credits in $25 increments and we’ll add it to any member account in January!

Follow the button to our gift certificate page, fill out the form and then choose your preferred method of payment.

It’s easy to do and you can pay online or by email bank transfer.

Once we have received your payment, we will forward a printable gift certificate directly to your email address.

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