Zipcar and Flexcar, two car-sharing programs that rent low-emission, fuel-efficient vehicles to consumers have recently agreed to merge.
The companies previously operated in different cities (Flexcar with fleets in Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Atlanta, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C.; Zipcar in New York, Boston, Washington, D.C., Chicago, San Francisco, Vancouver, Toronto, and London), but will now change all branding in those cities to Zipcar.
To use a Zipcar, members reserve a vehicle online. They use their "smartcard" to unlock the shared car, drive it, then return it to its original location. Zipcar members pay an annual membership fee and an hourly fee (or daily fee) that covers insurance, gas, maintenance, parking, and 24/7 emergency service, making Zipcars a flexible, simple, and convenient urban transportation choice. Zipcar has already partnered with 70 universities, saving college students the hassle of paying hefty campus parking fees.
Not only do car-sharing companies take the hassle out of owning a car in a city, but sharing cars also has many green benefits. Zipcar claims that each of their cars replaces 20 privately owned vehicles, which lowers fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Zipcar members also reportedly save $5,000 per year. So not only are you being green, but you're saving some green, too.
For more green driving tips, click here or here!
Photo: Zipcar
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