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I always thought that companies like Zipcar are for people that have no intention of buying a car in the first place and only need the service for random trips?
if 1 million people use zip car and all had no intention of owning a car... how are there any lost car sales?
If the use of car-sharing takes care of certain people's needs without them having to buy 2 or 3 cars, it will result in lost sales.
Someone who could have had 2 cars now buys only 1 for long trips & uses ZipCar for other uses. Someone who could have bought 1 car gets rid of it & uses ZipCar for the 1 or 2 days of the week that they need a car. See how it works?
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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Not really, we have 3 cars but I take the bus to work, and thought about joining zip or Car2Go in case I need to go somewhere in a hurry during the work day.
Do you really think most of their target audience has 3 cars they don't use? I think Soviet's description was right on. It's about reducing the number of cars that people need to own; that could be a couple going to one car or a single person going to zero cars, but it's net fewer cars out there in the world. Once our current old cars become unreliable, we'll probably move to one (new) car and I'll keep a Zipcar membership. If I lived somewhere that I had to pay for parking on a monthly basis, I'd get rid of the extra car in a hurry.
Not the same thing but if I can I share a lift to work with a colleague who lives nearby but that car share simply means that each of our cars gets a day off.
7 years ago my wife and I had two cars and a motorcycle. We then went overseas for work and have recently returned to the US and will not be replacing them. Car2Go, public transit, and ZipCar are way cheaper and generally more convenient than owning your own car if you live in the city. Plus I ride my bicycle and walk more which is better for your health.
I haven't looked at the details of them, but if I took one to a grocery store a few miles away and then someone else takes while I'm inside, I'm kinda screwed when I try to go home? Walk or cab it? Is that how the program works? I see them all the time in Minneapolis.
There is some sort of electronic device (key fob or card) with a unique ID that members of car sharing schemes use to unlock and lock the vehicles. Without such a valid device one cannot enter thus start the vehicle. In addition according to TOS you agree to upon being accepted as a member you *must* lock the car using same as above whenever you leave the vehicle. That is if you go to the supermarket and park the thing, you must swipe your device to lock the car after it is parked. If you do not and someone enters the car, manages to start and drive away you can be held liable.
All car sharing autos are equipped with small computer/communication devices that among other functions:
Tell the system where the auto is located at all times.
Tell the system who or whom and when each time the auto has been locked/unlocked.
There is a period of time after the car is unlocked that it will start without requiring *re-entering* ID information. But once that window is over the vehicle will "lock" itself again.
We use car sharing all the time and it works for those that understand the concept (it is a car *SHARING* not *RENTAL* scheme), and or who are not addled minded or prone to loose/forget things.
When chit-chatting with customer service the reps recount all sorts of tales of woe and mystery of customers that having taken a vehicle out have "lost" their key fob/card wherever (shopping, supermarket, picnic, etc...) and thus cannot get back into the car much less start the thing. Or, despite rules not to with some programs they take the keys out of the vehicle and loose them.
Yes at one time that is true. This service is usually targeted at urban dwellers who don't need to use a car on a daily basis and get to work via foot, bike, transit or teleworking. If a group of 32 people each need a car once a week and the car gets shared 4 or 5 times a day the math does work.
Exactly!
We live in New York City, NY and while many here do own personal vehicle or vehicles, these persons often have homes in the country and or commute to work say in NJ, LI or other parts of the area where taking mass transit is not an easy or welcomed option.
Others that move here and own a vehicle *think* they will use it often enough but if they work in the City/take mass transit and really do not commute on a regular basis to the "country", most find owing between insurance and other associated costs (not to mention the odd ticket) not worth the hassle. For such persons it makes more sense financially to rent a vehicle when required rather than own.
Since all NYC car rental services charge by the 24/hour day it is not always convenient or cheapest financially.
Let's say you want to run an errand on Saturday from Manhattan to Ikea in Brooklyn. You've budgeted four hours in travel time back and forth as well as enough time to do the shopping. Zipcar, HertzonDemand and the other car sharing programs will charge about $9/hour for a total of $36. OTOH car rental will cost about $79 per day. To both you must add final taxes (about 13.50%) fees and surcharges such as for toll devices and so forth, which will bring the total cost of renting to nearly or over $100/for each day. Also with renting once you are finished with the vehicle what do you do with it? You've either got to park it overnight until the rental period is over (Hertz locations in NYC for instance do NOT allow returns once their garages are closed), also some rental places charge a fee if the vehicle is returned before it is supposed.
With car sharing you are only paying for the actual time used, once done you return the vehicle and that is that. Also car sharing programs include petrol, with car rentals you must return the vehicle with a full tank (or whatever you left with) unless you agree to their prepaid refueling charge. Otherwise you will be dinged the full cost of refueling at often highway robbery prices.
I always thought that companies like Zipcar are for people that have no intention of buying a car in the first place and only need the service for random trips?
if 1 million people use zip car and all had no intention of owning a car... how are there any lost car sales?
Yep. I'd guess it's more like 5 or 10 of those 32 might have bought a car. Reality is in the neighborhoods these people tend to live in there isn't any parking to support those extra cars.
Yep. I'd guess it's more like 5 or 10 of those 32 might have bought a car. Reality is in the neighborhoods these people tend to live in there isn't any parking to support those extra cars.
One of the ideals promoted by vehicle *sharing* is that it lessens the impact on the environment and resources versus ownership. This regardless of someone's intentions or preferences for owning their own automobile.
Parking in many urban areas such as New York City has become a problem for many reasons. One is the success of turning places like Manhattan into the new suburbia where persons move back into cities but cannot leave the "country" behind.
So persons pack up and move into Manhattan or another urban center but want large apartments/housing (for themselves and their 2.5 children and or a couple of dogs), and bring that other comfort of suburban life, the automobile (or two) with them.
New York City zoning at least does have rules requiring a certain amount of on-site parking for new housing, but that often is not enough especially today when households have two or more autos. Even in places like parts of Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island where in theory there should be enough parking spaces, often the reality is far different. Things are so bad that one has actually seen many, many homes on Staten Island and Queens where the front or back yards have been paved over to create parking.
Yet, still with all these hassles those that are convinced they must own an auto, will continue to do so. Others simply sit down and do the sums to find cost of ownership versus putting that money to use elsewhere and renting/sharing an auto when required has the latter being a better option.
Beauty of car sharing versus say a rental is that they are 24/7 services. If you want/need something at 2AM, you just go online/start up an app and go get it. The thing may not be right on your street but it is as close to having one's own personal vehicle as one can get.
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