GM Starts Car-Sharing Program In NYC [w/Video]

General Motors has introduced a car-sharing program in New York City dedicated exclusively to residents of a luxury apartment building in Manhattan.

Called “Let’s Drive NYC”, the program is available to eligible residents of The Ritz Plaza, a 479-unit luxury apartment building at Times Square in midtown Manhattan, owned and managed by Stonehenge Partners.

Residents can reserve a vehicle and access parking in one of 200 garages throughout Manhattan managed by Icon Parking Systems via a GM-developed mobile app. The fleet currently includes eight Chevrolet Trax small SUVs and two Chevrolet Equinox compact SUVs, but GM says more vehicles will be added later.

Residents get electronic credits valid for three hours of rental per month based on their periodic apartment lease payments. After that, users pay less than $10 an hour or up to $75 for a 24-hour reservation.

GM offered the program earlier this summer to select Ritz Plaza residents who completed more than 100 trips over nearly 20,000 miles (32,187 km) in the New York, New Jersey and Connecticut tri-state area. Based on the pilot program, GM, Stonehenge and Icon decided to broaden the offer.

“Customers want options on how to move from Point A to Point B that provide flexibility and personalization. Let’s Drive NYC is just one part of GM’s global urban mobility strategy,” said GM President Dan Ammann.

However, limiting a car-sharing scheme to just one apartment building does not sound like a strong business case – unless GM uses this as a pilot in order to expand the service to other buildings as well.