Drive Capital Region Roads By the Hour with CDTA’s New Cars

Soon there will be another option to get around the Capital Region. This next venture for the Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA) is called Drive. This is a new ride-share program that will allow you to use a car in the Capital Region 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The program is slated to begin in May or June of this year with a fleet of 6 cars to start.

What is the Drive Program?

These are a network of cars that are either low to zero-emission vehicles that allow people in the Capital Region the use of a car at any time on any day.

How Does the Drive Program Work?

The cars are available to drivers for $5 per hour or for just $40 per day you can have your transportation. You can reserve a car if you are 21 years old or older with a valid driver's license. Your driving record needs to be mostly a clean one. According to CDTA, you can't have any major accidents, or major moving violations, no DUIs, and not more than two minor traffic violations in the past five years. You must also have a credit or debit card reserve.

It's easy to reserve your ride. You can do it through the CDTA app or online. You can even lock or unlock the vehicle right through the app. You need to fill out an application before you can use the program but that will only take three to seven business days to be approved.

Cars can be reserved online or via mobile app, and users can lock and unlock the vehicle through the app — no keys needed, according to the website. Users will be notified of their approved applications three to seven business days after applying.

What About Insurance and the Upkeep of the Vehicles?

The hourly and daily rates cover insurance, vehicle maintenance, and roadside assistance according to the Albany Business Review. If you do get into an accident with one of the "Drive" cars, drivers would be responsible for a deductible.

Didn't CDTA Have a Ride-Share Program?

There was a program called Capital Car Shar that ran in Troy and Albany for more than five years. When the pandemic hit in 2020, rising costs forced the program to close.