I think the main difference is convenience. If it's parked in your neighborhood or apartment complex, its a lot easier and quicker to use it than to have to get to a rent-a-car location.
-Ray Sachs > -----Original Message----- > From: Corey [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] > Sent: Tuesday, May 28, 2002 11:09 AM > To: Jeffrey FRIEDMAN > Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: Re: Interesting Article About Car Sharing > > > Isn't this similar to the rental car principle. Hertz, Avis > and others > are already making lots of money on the idea. > > Corey Hilliard > > Jeffrey FRIEDMAN wrote: > > > > http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-te.md.zipcar28may28 > .story?coll=bal%2Dhome%2Dheadlines > > > > Car-sharing: wheels at will, and lower bill > > Innovation: Company picks up a concept popular in Europe and uses it > > in > > suburban Washington. > > By Marcia Myers > > Sun Staff May 28, 2002 There are few similarities in the > lives of Alan > > Turnbull and Hazel Parent. > > He's a young professional, a city councilman in Greenbelt and the > > father of > > two small children. She's a 62-year-old widow whose days are spent > > making > > pottery at her public housing apartment and tending to her aging > > terrier, > > Charlee. About the only thing they have in common is the > "Zipcar" they > > share, a > > sparkling white 2002 Volkswagen Jetta parked a short walk > from both of > > their > > homes. In greater Washington, as in Boston, Seattle, New York - and, > > perhaps, > > Baltimore soon - car-sharing programs are catching on, creating a > > potentially significant transportation link. For a cross section of > > motorists - from residents of apartment complexes to > > budget-conscious college students, from rail passengers who need a > > vehicle > > at the end of the line to employers who want an economical fleet of > > company > > cars - membership means a simple, paperless way of paying for a car > > only > > when one is needed. With a reservation and the swipe of a membership > > card, the car door unlocks > > and members are mobile. The fee - in Washington, $6 to $9 an hour - > > includes > > gas and insurance. Turnbull and his wife found the system so > > convenient they got rid of their > > second car. "I figure we're saving $3,000 a year easily between > > operation, > > fuel, oil, depreciation and insurance," Turnbull said. "It's a real > > cheap > > way to have backup transportation." Parent - who had feared driving > > her 20-year-old Ford more than a few miles > > from home and couldn't afford to replace it - said she is suddenly > > liberated. "I've kind of got a life again," said Parent, > who has begun > > dreaming of day > > trips to the Inner Harbor. Typically, members pay a sign-up > fee of $25 > > to $30. Cars are kept at > > high-density spots such as apartment complexes, university campuses > > and > > transit stops. A vehicle can be reserved online on a few minutes' > > notice, > > and members can choose any car in their network nationwide. > When done, > > they > > return the car to its designated parking spot. Presidents of the > > nation's two largest car-sharing companies - Boston-based > > Zipcar and Seattle-based Flexcar - say they started their businesses > > after > > observing the success of similar companies in Europe, where > > car-sharing has > > long been in place. "It was such a cool thing, I asked myself, 'Why > > aren't we doing this?'" said > > Neil Petersen, head of 3-year-old Flexcar and a former transit > > executive in > > Seattle and Los Angeles. "It stuck in the back of my mind." 'The > > perfect solution' On the other side of the country, Robin Chase was > > confronting transportation > > headaches in Boston. "We are a family of five living in an > urban area, > > and my husband took the > > car to commute to work every single day, leaving me carless > with three > > > > kids," she recalled. The expense and hassle of parking, maintenance > > and > > insurance made her reluctant to buy a second car. Then she learned > > about European car-sharing. "It spoke to me - this was the > > perfect solution," said Chase, a graduate of the Massachusetts > > Institute of > > Technology's Sloan School of Management. Two years ago, she started > > Zipcar with three vehicles. The company has > > expanded to Washington, New York and Denver, with 2,500 > members and a > > growing fleet that will number 250 cars by the end of the > year. Zipcar > > officials have begun exploring other cities, including > Baltimore, and > > have contacted the University of Maryland and city officials about > > collaborating to provide the parking spaces. They have no timetable > > for when > > the service might be offered in this area. Perhaps > contributing to the > > interest in car-sharing are two important facts > > about American motorists: The average American uses a car a total of > > one > > hour a day - and spends 25 percent of his or her income on it, > > car-sharing > > groups say. Formal car-sharing can provide an economical option. And > > when paired with > > mass transit, it can be environmentally helpful by reducing > the number > > of > > cars on the road. "I think this will be a ubiquitous > service in cities > > within five years," > > Chase said. In the 1-square-mile city of Cambridge, Mass., Zipcar > > operates > > 25 cars. "But this city could take hundreds of cars. Eventually I > > think > > there'll be one on every block." Penny Cherubino decided to sign up > > last summer. A marketing research > > consultant who lives in Boston's Back Bay neighborhood, she worried > > whether > > a car would be available when she needed one, particularly for > > emergency > > visits to her ailing mother-in-law. Her concerns have proved to be > > unfounded. Four cars are within a four-block > > area of her home. "I've always been able to find a car - > even on Labor > > Day weekend," she said. > > "There are probably seven different cars that I use > regularly" - among > > them, > > a Toyota Prius hybrid that runs on gasoline and electricity, and a > > Volkswagen Beetle. "My husband really loves cars, and one of the > > benefits is he gets to drive > > these different cars," she said. The couple have sold their Saab, > > their only car, which was costing them > > $10,000 a year in parking, maintenance and other expenses. Susan > > Shaheen, director of a transportation research program at the > > University of California, Berkeley, said the first wave of > members are > > > > people such as Cherubino, who are quick to understand how to make > > car-sharing work for them. And while some companies, such > as Flexcar, > > have concentrated on placing cars > > near transit stops, and others, such as Zipcar, have focused more on > > neighborhoods, the best model seems to be a combination of the two, > > Shaheen > > said. In Switzerland, more than 50,000 people share cars that are in > > neighborhoods > > and transit centers as well as at airports, resorts, businesses and > > hotels. "The Swiss, who have really mastered this, are > making a lot of > > money," > > Shaheen said. "They've actually proven this can work in > rural areas as > > well. "I think in the U.S. we're likely to see the same kinds of > > patterns. But > > success in this country is going to come down to > education." Spreading > > the word Parent is trying to spread the word among her neighbors at > > the Green Ridge > > Apartments, which has limited parking. The city of Greenbelt, which > > operates > > the building, has agreed to pay the hourly rental fee for building > > residents, hoping some will give up their cars and ease the parking > > problems. In addition to the Jetta, which has a designated spot just > > outside the > > building, Zipcar has parked a green VW Beetle at the nearby > municipal > > complex. But meetings to hear about the program have been sparsely > > attended, and only > > a few people have signed up. That makes Parent nervous. She > wants the > > program to succeed. "A good thing like this, my goodness, can it > > last?" she asked, heading out > > one recent morning to the Jetta. "It's really a wonderful thing." On > > Zipcar's Web site, she has reserved the car for a couple of > hours, and > > > > Zipcar computers know to allow access only to her during that > > period. Stepping up to the driver's side, she waves her membership > > card's magnetic > > strip in front of a transponder under the wind- shield, and > the locks > > lift open. She finds the car key in its hidden spot. > > If she needs gas, a Zipcar credit card is available. The > company takes > > care > > of all maintenance and cleaning, but should the car need a wash, > > Parent can > > leave the receipt in the glove box, and she'll be > reimbursed. With her > > old Ford, she tried to limit her errands to the shopping center a > > few blocks away. "At my age, I don't want to be broke down in > > traffic," she > > said. On her first trip in the Zipcar, she went to the more distant > > Beltway Plaza > > and signed up for a bonus card at a grocery store. The > options for her > > there > > are more enticing: an oversized pet store for Charlee, a > Dollar Store > > for > > small gifts for her grandchildren. After a few short > drives, she took > > the car out recently for the 11-mile trip > > to the cemetery where her parents and husband are buried. > It's a place > > she > > had been unable to visit for more than five years. "I think > I'm going > > to start venturing out a little farther," she said. > > Copyright © 2002, The Baltimore Sun > > ---- > You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the > Bicycle Coalition of the Delaware Valley list named "bike." > To subscribe or unsubscribe or for archive information, see > <http://www.purple.com/list.html>. > ---- You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the Bicycle Coalition of the Delaware Valley list named "bike." To subscribe or unsubscribe or for archive information, see <http://www.purple.com/list.html>.
