Driving in Portland Just Got A Little Easier

ReachNow provides a minimally marked car when you need it—even electric ones.

ReachNow is Portland's new car-share option.
By Promotions

I park my car along the sidewalk on East Burnside Street. I get out, walk around the back, and pick up three fully loaded reusable shopping bags. Chicken, salmon, bok choy, soba noodles, frozen gyoza, Pocky sticks, a bag of those rock candies with the adorable smiling anime kittens on the bag…OK, so the shopping trip got a little out of hand. But it always gets out of hand when I—or anyone, really, I tell myself—go to Uwajimaya. That's why I specifically chose the four-seat sedan with ReachNow before heading out.

ReachNow is a car-sharing app that puts a fleet of sedans, SUVs and MINIs—including an electric option—at the tips of your fingers. These vehicles are minimally marked. There are no loud, blue paint jobs, because that's not what ReachNow is about: It's about providing a car when you need one. You can choose to pay by the minute (roughly 41 cents) or flat rates starting at $20 an hour. The flat rates include insurance and fuel. (You'll find more detailed information about pricing at reachnow.com.)

You don't need a car every day in Portland. This is a great cycling town. It's passionate about public transit. Portlanders are eager to support environment-friendly ways to get around town. But there are certain times when you just need a car. You're heading out for a last-minute weekend at the coast. Or maybe you're getting a week's worth of groceries, and you just know you're going to walk out of the stores with more weird, wonderful goodies than you planned. ReachNow makes sure you have that car when you need it—including a MINI for when you have to find parking for a $2 matinee at Mission Theater—so you don't have to worry about it when you don't.

I use ReachNow maybe once or twice a week. I bike to work most days or hop on the 4 when it's raining (or there's another Snowpocalypse). My apartment complex doesn't offer parking. But that doesn't stand in the way of me having a car when I absolutely need to go impulse shopping at a giant Japanese supermarket.

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