GreenGo - e-carsharing in Budapest

Created: Tuesday, 10. 08. 2024.

I've been using this service for quiet some time now so the time to make a blog article about it has come.

concept

Welcome back! I’ve been gathering information and experience to make this article for quite a long time. For starters, this is an article about an e-carsharing service in Budapest. Side note: they did not pay me to write this (I wish they did though😉) E-mobility services are not a new thing. There’s scooter sharing, bike sharing (which I also have written about here) but electric car sharing is something next level.
How it works is very simple. You download the app, register with your details in it, upload a driver’s license and a selfie while holding it. They have to verify it and you’re ready to use the service. There are different plans, and you pay for your rental by the minute.
The rental process is very easy. On the map you’ll see the available cars. You can pick and book one for 20 minutes, this is free. You can also extend your booking, but you have pay for it by the minute. If you have arrived at your booked car, you must take pictures from all four sides and check for any new damages. Already reported damages can be seen before opening the car. When you get in make sure to check the back seats too, I had one time cleaning dog fur because someone else decided to put their pet in it, and I forgot to check before starting my ride... You can report the internal condition if you are not satisfied, for example if it is dirty or something is spilled on the seats, like that, but make sure to do it within the first two minutes of opening.
If you want to leave the car but not close the rental, you just have to get out, and make sure the engine is turned off and the parking brake is turned on. You can park it in the app and the parking fare is cheaper than driving. It will be locked, and you can return to it whenever you wish.
When closing the rental, you also must take photos of all four sides. Make sure to park it in a permitted place. There are “car sharing parking” which is a great place to look for free spots.
The zone covers a large part of Budapest, also external places like Budaörs or the Liszt Ferenc International Airport. You can use the cars all around the country just make sure don’t go abroad with them and you finish the rental inside the zone.

map

fleet

I like their simplicity. You can choose from the VW e-Up! And Skoda Citigo vehicles. The e-Up! comes with two different types of batteries, 18 kWh and 36 kWh. There’s also the Renault Kagoo ZE, which is a smaller electric van if you need some actual storage space. It can be good for moving large stuff which you definitely cannot fit inside those tiny cars.

plans and pricing

They have four packages, Green, which is good for people who just rarely use the service. The price per minute and to start the rental is very high, you also get no benefits, I would not recommend it.
Green Plus comes with cheaper price to start the rental and fare per minute, so it is a viable option for a small amount of money per month. The daily rental is also cheaper than with the Green package.
Green U25 is a new package which comes with the same benefits as the Plus package, but it is made for people under 25. It has a lower price per month than the Green Plus and you get free parking per minute during the night. Side note: previously the Green Plus was free for people under 25 before this new thing was released.
Personally, I use and love very much the Green Premium package. You get the lowest fare, fifty percent discount on the airport opening/closing, one half price daily rental per month, lower fare during the morning hours than the usual, free parking during the night, and 125 kilometers instead of 100 per day without paying extra. It is still expensive but better than public transport, that’s for sure.
Daily rental is good too if you need a ride for the whole day, once the driving and parking price per minute reaches the daily rental price, it will not go further than that.
A very in-depth detailed pricing and also surcharges in case of damage, traffic violation etc. can be found on their website.

greengo comfort

If you need something more than just a city car, you can rent one for up to 20 days (regularly it is 3 days max). If you need a larger car, you can get the KIA Niro EV, it also comes with a WLTP range of 450 kilometers. Also, if you’re in the middle of moving between places, there’s a large electric Opel van available for you. You can also get other extras for your rentals, like charging cable and get it delivered to your home, I’m not going into details.

experience

The e-Up! seems small, and it is, but I can fit myself very comfortably in them, I never felt cramped or anything like that. Small car, easy to maneuver through narrow places, to park and the visibility is great too, tiny blind spots and all that. They come with heated seats, parking sensors and many come with parking cameras, you can connect your music using Bluetooth so the driving can be a fun experience. I personally also like the analogue dashboard and the fact that you can use actual BUTTONS for the ancillary controls.
The app is very intuitive and easy to use. Whenever I had issues with the rental, the phone customer support was always immediately available, and they were VERY kind and helpful.
Since this is an electric car, it comes with gearless automatic transmission your city ride will be very comfy, and you don’t even need to worry about a hill start (there’s a lot like that in Buda).
You can also use B driving mode which basically uses the kinetic braking energy to supply it back to the battery which is quite cool. This can also be used for one-pedal driving. Just practice it before doing it in rush hour traffic.
The WLTP range is 260 kilometers of the car with the large battery, but in the city, you can get around 330 if you don’t put your foot down every time you get a green light. On the motorway going 130 kph you get like 150 kilometers of range. Remember: this is a CITY CAR. Go slower if you need a higher range.

negative side, also how could it be better?

My main problem is not the service, it’s the people who use it. Some really don’t care about the cars, sometimes I have to report multiple, very visible damages before opening one. Scratches, damages on the side doors, the front and reat bumper are there nearly all the time, dents on the bonnet, on the sides and even on the roof, cracks on the windshield rarely. People treat these vehicles like a toy. I already mentioned dog fur on the backseat, sometimes there’s also stuff back there like these cars were a tractor doing some farm work. One time I got one that had the passenger side’s window rolled down by a bit. Luckily it wasn’t raining before. All the repairs for these damages will be paid by all of us unfortunately. Unless there’s a large damage, probably they can’t even hold anyone accountable for it. Yes, you take pictures before and after, but it still might not be enough proof. FYI, they have increased the fare per minute twice this year.
I also experienced that in an underground parking garage when there’s no mobile coverage you cannot put the car in “park” mode in the app, which means it will remain unlocked. Technically, it should work via Bluetooth, but it doesn’t.
The overall experience would be better if people actually cared about these cars like it was theirs. We’re not in Italy where all parked cars are scratched and broken. Use your brain at least while you’re driving.

Also, there’s few more things that I think would improve the service:

Just to don’t think I have an all-negative mindset, here’s a list about all the things I like about the service:

should you use it?

If you do not have a car, definitely. This will make your life so much easier. Also this is definitely the cheapest option amongst the competitors. Just doing business around the city, going grocery shopping, road trips in the country, your daily commute. Just plan your trips in advance to avoid any surprises in terms of cost.