car2go Faces Pushback in Wisconsin

car2go is unable to launch its car-sharing service in Madison, Wis., due to legal restrictions, according to a report by Isthmus.com. In Madison, it is illegal to permanently reserve parking spaces.

Although car2go vehicles don’t have to be returned to designated parking spaces — they can be left anywhere and their locations are found via a mobile app — they still need to park on Madison’s streets indefinitely, according to the report.

“From a statutory perspective, Wisconsin state statutes don't allow companies to reserve public spaces on a permanent basis to go beyond time restrictions," Tom Woznick, parking operations manager for the Madison Parking Utility, told Isthmus. "A vendor like car2go would need to lobby for a change to the state law to use street spaces."

Currently, car2go operates in 15 U.S. cities, including San Diego, Austin, Seattle and Denver.

Click here to read the full Isthmus.com article: http://www.isthmus.com/daily/article.php?article=43166