Car2Go service knocked out, restored

AUSTIN (KXAN) - For the second time in less than two months, technical issues caused disruption in Austin Car2Go rentals Wednesday morning.

The disruption was not systemwide, but affected a large portion of the fleet on a vehicle to vehicle basis for at least six hours, officials with the program said.

Cars that appear available on the car finder and mobile apps are not affected and can be rented as usual.

In June, a computer problem stalled about 300 of the tiny cars for at least eight hours.

During that time, members who usually can scan their smart card on special scanners on the front windshield couldn't gain access.

The problem in June was a communication breakdown between the main computer at Car2Go Headquarters and the cars themselves.

Car2Go is a different mobility concept for individual transportation in urban areas. The service offers transportation on demand at “by-the-minute” rates.

The miniature vehicles can be located via cell phone or Internet and rented spontaneously by accessing an available vehicle on the street or reserving the vehicle 24 hours in advance.