The City of Escalon recently partnered with San Joaquin Valley Community Shared Mobility Inc. dba Miocar to provide hybrid-electric vehicles for hourly or daily rental at the City’s Park-and-Ride Lot at Viking Street in downtown Escalon. City officials said they see this as another step in their ongoing efforts to offer more flexible and cleaner fuel transit options for residents.
“We are excited to start a new transportation program here in Escalon to increase mobility options for our residents,” stated John Andoh, Transit Manager for the City of Escalon. “This new program allows residents to rent a car locally for running errands. From eTrans bus service to Modesto, the Uber subsidy program for trips when eTrans doesn’t run, our local park and ride lot for those who want to travel to Stockton on RTD County Hopper and now this program, it is getting easy to travel to, from and within Escalon.”
The Miocar carshare service will be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week for residents, at least 21 years or older who sign up and pass through Miocar’s application process which requires a valid driver’s license and motor vehicle record check (MVR). Once an approved member, residents can reserve vehicles same-day or schedule bookings in advance for appointments or other errands. Rates are $4/hour and $35/day. After 150 miles there is a $0.35/mile additional charge. Miocar rates include vehicle weekly maintenance and cleaning, insurance, and customer support. Users can sign up at www.miocar.com or download the ZEV co-op app from App Store or Google Play.
Gloria Huerta, Miocar’s Chief Operating Officer, is enthusiastic about the new relationship with the City of Escalon.
“We are a not-for-profit service in California partnering with progressive cities like Escalon who are redefining transit service. We look forward to comple4menting Escalon eTrans service,” Huerta said.
Miocar’s service is “roundtrip carsharing” which means the vehicles must be returned back to the Viking Street parking lot at the end of a reservation. Vehicles will be inspected and cleaned weekly. Like car rental, members will be responsible for re-fueling the vehicle after their trip.
“With over 50 miles per gallon on the highway and almost 60 miles per gallon in the City, residents will save money on trips to the grocery store, doctor’s appointments, job interviews and visiting family,” Huerta added. “Our dedicated staff provide 24/7 customer support including an emergency line after 5 p.m. in case our members need assistance.”
More information can be found at cityofescalon.org. To get started with Miocar, visit www.miocar.org or download the “ZEV Coop” app from Google Play or App Store.
