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Fall statement to members

Here’s our Operations Manager, Philip Mikulec, with our fall statement to members.

With over half a year of COVID-19 under our belts, we have experienced a lot of ups and downs, both as a carsharing community and as Winnipeggers. Here at Peg City Car Co-op, we take the safety of our members very seriously. In these ever-changing times, we are taking a proactive approach to our cleaning practices, while remaining adaptive to your transportation needs.

As infection numbers increase in our province, we are enhancing our member safety protocols by introducing the provision of hand sanitizer in all our vehicles. Our committed Fleet Team at Peg City Car Co-op spent weeks researching the best products that have a low impact on your hands and won’t damage the interior of our vehicles. Our hand sanitizer program will be rolled out over the next couple of weeks. Be sure to keep an eye out for our Peg City Car Co-op branded sanitizer bottles.

This initiative is the latest in our ongoing efforts to ensure our members, and their passengers, enjoy a safe ride in our vehicles. When COVID-19 officially hit Manitoba in March of 2020, we increased our sanitization schedule by 300% and introduced a pre-sanitization program for our most vulnerable members. We continue to offer a frontline price plan to help individuals and community groups on the frontline of the pandemic. You can learn more about our COVID-19-based programs by visiting our blog post dedicated to our pandemic response.

As a carsharing service, we are also focused on keeping all of our initiatives sustainable and eco-friendly. We are pleased to report that over the summer, we introduced a zero-emission cleaning fleet that includes a Nissan Leaf and a people-powered cargo bike which we use to transport new plant-based biodegradable sanitization and cleaning products from vehicle to vehicle. This new initiative saves almost 500 litres of water per wash and allows our cleaning staff to travel to cars without worrying about what comes out of the tailpipe.

Throughout the various phases of the pandemic, we are continuously adapting to the carsharing needs of our members. In the spring, we had to adapt to decreased demand as the province went into lockdown. At this time we reduced our fleet size temporarily by 30% to help right-size our fleet and reduce costs. We were incredibly appreciative of how understanding our membership was of these quick changes. As we emerged from lockdown, we saw a quick boost in demand. We reacted as quickly as possible, increasing our fleet size by nearly 20%. We were incredibly excited to respond to the needs of our members as you made the best of a difficult situation and went out to explore our beautiful province. Some of our members took the opportunity to share their stories with the broader community, which we covered on our blog here and here.

To be sure, the coming months will be full of challenges. Our small but dedicated team will be there to help you through these challenges, by providing the best carsharing service possible. We are committed to remaining nimble to your needs and helping to keep you safe in these ever-changing times.

hand sanitizer — *Be sure to keep an eye out for our Peg City Car Co-op branded sanitizer bottles.*

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Re:Member – Keep it green, keep it clean!

Our staff are “leaving no trace” by keeping cars spotless with new, water-free, plant-based, and biodegradable cleaning products!

Did you know Peg City uses plant based cleaners for in and outside the vehicles? Our interior cleaner is effective against germs, bacteria, fungus, and viruses. It’s recognized by Health Canada DIN: 02500957. We’re also happy to add that the products are made in Canada, by Goclean.

Not only are these products plant-based and biodegradable, they are also water-free! We are conserving up to 500L of water per car wash!

Our staff visit cars on rotation to ensure our fleet is clean, sanitized and ready to serve our members.

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Update from our Operations Manager

It has been a pleasure to see Manitobans coming together to flatten the curve, and flatten the curve we did! It’s exciting to see days go by without a single case. Flattening the curve means everyone doing their part, and that includes our Members.

Operations Manager Updat, man standing by peg city vehicle

With people staying in, we saw a significant decline in usage. In April our bookings fell by 50% compared to February. We anticipated and accepted that we would see a reduction in demand, which is why we made the difficult decision to remove cars from our fleet temporarily. Reducing our fleet size meant that our dedicated fleet team could do a better job washing and sanitizing our vehicles. As part of our efforts to clean more, we have added staff capacity to make sure everyone is as safe as possible. We are continuing with these efforts even as cases in Manitoba drop. To make sure our members are as comfortable as possible, we also introduced pre-sanitization for those who are at risk or making a booking for at least 24 hrs.

vehicle interior being sanitized and cleaned

As the weather improves and we start to open up parts of the economy, we have seen an increase in demand. I want our members to know that we are aware of the rise in demand and have decided to hold off adding more cars until at least one full month from the end of lockdown. While we could see an increase in COVID-19 cases at any time, a month gives us enough assurance that there won’t be another spike in cases in the short-term. Based on the current demand level, we plan on re-introducing six of the eleven vehicles we put into storage. So long as we continue to see increased demand in June, we will continue to add more cars back.

The Peg City Car Co-op team is incredibly grateful to our members who have been understanding and patient as our social and economic landscape shifts. Rest assured we are doing our best to balance the Co-op’s fiscal health, with the needs of our membership. As the only carsharing company operating in Winnipeg, we want to assure our members that we are making decisions today to ensure that we can serve the community for many years to come. As a member-based co-op, our roots are in the community. Our purpose is to continue to strive to be a member-focused company that provides the best carsharing experience possible.

Thank you to our membership and community for making carsharing a reality in Winnipeg. We look forward to serving you now and into the future. Most of all, we can’t wait to add more cars back into service for our members to enjoy!

Take care and be well.

Philip Mikulec
Operations Manager

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Re:Member – Transporting pets

Re:Member is a series of helpful tips and reminders for Peg City Car Co-op members.

Transporting Pets

We allow our Members to bring their pets along for the ride, provided they are in a carrier. If they’re too big to fit in a carrier, they must be transported in the cargo area of the vehicle, with a protective barrier – like a tarp, blanket, or towel – in between them and the upholstery. We also encourage pet owners to bring a brush or a sticky lint roller with them to make sure that no hair is left behind.

If you’re hauling potted flowers for your garden, bringing sandy toys back from the beach, or coming home from the park with mudded up pupper, the vehicle is going to need more than just a quick tidy.

Members should book extra time to stop in at a car wash or detailing centre, to do a thorough vacuuming. Peg City will reimburse your account with driving credit. (don’t forget to fill out the log book and staple the receipt to it!)

We want carsharing to be a clean, enjoyable experience for everyone – thank you!

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Keeping it clean with our Fleet Manager, Will Belford

Our Fleet Manager Will offers some insight on Peg City’s enhanced sanitizing efforts and tips on how to stay safe using Co-op cars for essential travel.

A message from our Fleet Manager

Hi I’m Will, Fleet Manager here at Peg City Car Co-op. If you’ve been watching our stories you know that we’ve doubled down on washing and sanitizing the vehicles.

As information has become available we have responded. We mobilized all available staff and sanitized our entire fleet as fast as we could. Moving forward, we will continue to visit vehicles five times faster than usual. Any time a vehicle is washed, serviced, or inspected: it is sanitized.

We want you to have confidence in using the cars. When sanitizing surfaces we are focusing on touch points. We’re aiming to be as thorough as possible. Every handle, lever, buckle, and button will be cleaned. Including seat adjustment levers and seat-belts!

We are cleaning the cars using disinfectant products chosen for their proven virus killing efficacy. They include a commercial disinfectant used in hospital and food service industry, Spray Nine heavy duty cleaner, and good old alcohol. Some of these products may leave a film on surfaces. While it may be visible, it does not mean the vehicle is unclean.

“Everything that can be touched is being sanitized“

A special thanks to our members who have contacted me to offer their help sanitizing cars, and suggesting places to sanitize in the car. We are all doing our part and your help is greatly appreciated!

There are many ways that our members can help reduce their own risk of spreading COVID-19. We ask that all members wash or sanitize their hands before entering and upon exiting Peg City vehicles, suggest bringing disinfecting wipes, in case you need to spot clean. We are also offering pre-booking sanitizing for at-risk folks, and any booking over 24 hrs in length. (details below)

Our top priority is the safety of our Members, staff, and community as a whole. Please feel free to get in touch if you have any questions about our services.

Will Belford
Fleet Manager, PCCC

Peg City Car Co-op’s new cleaning services

To minimize the spread of COVID-19, we are taking extra steps to sanitize our vehicles. While PCCC’s vehicles are cleaned regularly, we have implemented new cleaning standards that focus on disinfecting high-touch places in each vehicle. While we are maintaining our regular full wash cycle, we have also started going to cars as frequently as possible to clean key touch points. This means our team is attempting to go to each car every couple of days, and sooner if possible.

Pre-booking Sanitization:

In addition to our recent fortification in sanitation efforts, Peg City Car Co-op is now offering pre-booking vehicle sanitization for bookings at least 24 hours in length, as well as any booking for those who are, or are living with, at risk or immune-suppressed individuals. This will be based on an honour system. No explanation required!

While we social distance, PCCC understands that people still need to get around safely to buy groceries, go to a doctors appointment, or just get outside for a little while. We hope this program will help those who are most at risk.

To request your pre-booking cleaning, Please provide us with a minimum of 24 hrs notice via email [email protected] or phone (204) 793-3912. Or, simply reply to your booking confirmation email.

For now we will only be offering the program Monday to Friday on bookings that start between 8 am and 6 pm.

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Member update: Help keep each other safe

An updated message on our COVID-19 response

The team at Peg City Car Co-op (PCCC) is closely monitoring the news and government updates regarding COVID-19. We will continue to update our members and community through social media and direct email messaging.
Our chief concern during this time is member and staff safety.

Transmission and spread

Health professionals have ascertained that COVID-19 can be spread through exposure to infected droplets. COVID-19 can survive on surfaces for as little as a few hours and up to a few days depending on environmental conditions and the type of surface. However, scientific evidence indicates that surface contact is not the primary way the virus spreads.

The primary cause of transmission is continued exposure to respiratory aerosols. Since vehicles are confined spaces, you are unlikely to come into contact with the virus through coughing or sneezing unless an infected person accompanies you. It is, therefore, a relatively safe place.

We continue to monitor research and best practices to ensure our members and community are kept safe.

Preventative measures

Peg City Car Co-op recommends that members follow the advice of Manitoba Health to avoid transmitting the virus.

To minimize the spread of COVID-19, we are taking extra steps to sanitize our vehicles, which includes implementing new cleaning standards that focus on disinfecting high-touch places in each car.

We strongly encourage all passengers to:

– Sanitize their hands before and after entering or exiting a vehicle;

– Wear a mask while inside the car;

– When possible, use an alcohol-based disinfectant to wipe down surfaces; and routinely disinfect your hands if you don’t have access to soap and water.

More than ever, it is essential that members practice good hygiene (e.g. sneeze into their arms, remove waste from vehicles, wear masks).

If you may have been exposed to COVID-19, or feel any symptoms commonly associated with the illness (e.g. fever, sore throat, cough), please do not use Peg City Car Co-op vehicles. Follow guidelines set out by Manitoba Health.

Take care out there

As a community, we can all work together to contribute to reducing the spread of COVID-19. If you think you may have been exposed to COVID-19, or feel any symptoms commonly associated with the illness (e.g. fever, sore throat, cough), please follow guidelines set out by Manitoba Health.

Working together, we can all keep each other safe!

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Tag: cleaning

Fall statement to members

Re:Member – Keep it green, keep it clean!

Update from our Operations Manager

Re:Member – Transporting pets