Not owning a car in the city has just become a whole lot easier.

The CTA and iGo Car Sharing announced Oct. 10 they will begin a new partnership encouraging commuters to leave their cars at home and acquire a Smart Card that allows both CTA riders and iGo car-renters to access trains and buses, as well as rentable cars throughout the city.

“We see ourselves as a less-miles solution, and this just makes it easier for our members to fulfill that,” said Sharon Feigon, iGo Car Sharing CEO. “Our members are transit users. They bike, they walk, they use public transit and they use a car when they need it.”

Feigon said the new Smart Card is another way for iGo to make it easier for members who want to have mobility but don’t want to go out and buy a car.

The Smart Card will work very similarly to the Chicago Card Plus that is already in place for CTA riders. Like the Chicago Card Plus, Smart Card users can choose whether or not they want to be billed per ride or once for 30 days of service. The card can be managed online and still includes the touch-and-go feature when boarding CTA vehicles.

Along with the CTA options, Smart Card subscribers must register with iGo Car Sharing to gain access to cars around Chicago. There are 12 different locations under the Blue, Brown, Green and Red lines, including the Addison station in Wrigleyville. There are nine park-and-ride locations off the Blue, Brown, Orange, Purple and Yellow lines, including at Midway Airport and the Skokie Yellow Line station.

Craig Keller, communications and marketing coordinator at iGo, said iGo is hoping the card will be available before the end of the year, and maybe even as early as November.

Smart Card members will make payments through separate CTA and iGo accounts. The Smart Card is free, as is the Chicago Card Plus, but Smart Card members must pay the iGo fees that are instituted for regular iGo users.

When signing up for iGo, the initial charge is $75-the initial

driving record scan is $25 and the first year cost is $50-from there, the annual fee is $25, which includes all gas and oil expenses. iGo

offers a promotional code for Columbia students and faculty that cuts the initial cost down to $25.

Keller said there will probably be a discount for new members to both the Chicago Card Plus and iGo, but was unable to say for sure as of press time.

“The initial pilot program is designed to encourage new membership and is built for public transit and iGo car sharing,” Keller said. “We have every hope and expect that it will succeed.”

Other cities across the nation and into Canada have car-share programs like iGo-from Vancouver to San Francisco.

People who choose to set up an iGo account must be at least 21 years old, have either a valid credit or debit card, have five years of driving experience, no major driving violations within the past five years and no more than two minor violations or accidents in the past three years.

There is a student option for people between the ages of 18 and 20 if a parent or guardian acknowledgment consent form is filled out.

According to Katelyn Thrall, a CTA media spokesperson, 45 iGo and Zipcar shared cars will be phased into 20 different CTA locations throughout Chicago. Thrall said she doesn’t think the higher influx of cars will create more congestion around already overcrowded el stations.

“If you think about it, it’s such a small number of cars that are being put in place, it won’t affect traffic,” Thrall said. “Shared cars are known to reduce the number of drivers on the road.”

The car sharing company has experienced a spike in subscriptions recently and hopes the trend will continue.

“We’re adding members really fast, and we hope that this [Smart Card] is just one more thing that potential members will find intriguing and positive about iGo,” Feigon said.

There is no plan in place to purchase more cars at iGo, but if there is demand for more, Feigon said the fleet will definitely be expanded.