It looks like Stellantis’ Free2Move service is no longer free to move in Portland, Oregon. The relatively unknown ride-sharing service is pulling its fleet of free-floating Jeeps from the biggest city in Oregon because the service isn’t making much money there, as the Oregonian reports.
Of course, it would help if more people actually knew what Free2Move was, or if they knew about the service at all. It currently operates in four major cities: Paris, Madrid, Washington D.C. and Portland. Make that three now that the fleet of 180 vehicles is being taken off the roads in the Pacific Northwest, where Free2Move started operating in June 2021.
The Stellantis-owned ride sharing company ran a fleet of crossovers inside of a 20-square-mile area of Portland. There were 150 Jeep Renegades available, as well as 30 Jeep Compasses. Users would pay to drive these on a timed basis ranging from minutes to hours to days, or even a whole month, if necessary. The prices started at $0.46 cents per minute until 30 minutes, whereupon rates would increase to $13.19. An hour of use would cost $18.69.
People could pick up and drop off cars anywhere in Free2Move’s designated area of Portland, which encompasses Old Town and Chinatown, according to the Free2Move app that shows a map with little icons where the Jeeps were located.
Users could “hail” a Jeep, but it basically meant tracking one down and driving off. When finished, drivers could leave the Jeeps anywhere so long as it was inside the fleet’s digital fence. The service was supposed to be like the scooters littering San Diego and New York City, but with Jeep crossovers. The fleet didn’t have any EVs or AVs; it was just gas-powered Jeeps. Fuel and insurance were reportedly included in the cost, and the Jeeps were exempt from parking fees within their “home” area thanks to an agreement with city officials. Per the Oregonian:
The Portland Bureau of Transportation welcomed services like Free2Move, celebrating them as a way to help residents reduce their dependence on car ownership and cut down on traffic congestion and pollution. It issued permits allowing the cars to use most street parking without time limits or meter fees for up to 24 hours.
In theory, it’s not a bad idea to make cars easily available, but it all depends on price and ease of use. Anecdotal reports say that the 180-strong fleet was often at much lower capacity, and there weren’t as many cars as people were expecting. Maybe that wouldn’t be a huge problem since there weren’t that many users in Portland, but other issues cropped up, such as theft of fleet vehicles themselves or crimes being committed by Free2Move users in the Jeeps. Liability was also reportedly in question in case of accidents.
Stellantis’ mobility company experiment lasted two years in Portland, where city officials say that users registered over 175,000 trips since its launch. It seems Free2Move is faring better in Washington D.C., where it also has a fleet of Jeep Renegades. Who knows? If only Stellantis would’ve brought the Citroën Ami to Portland, maybe it wouldn’t be shutting down the service.
