News   Nov 28, 2024
Wallace Emerson Community Centre Growing Beside Galleria on the Park
 497     0 
News   Nov 28, 2024
27-Storey Tower on Queen West Proposed North of Future King-Liberty GO
 972     2 
News   Nov 28, 2024
Drone Flights Capture Sub-Grade Construction at Cielo Condos
 779     0 

Car share services

C

Citywriter

Guest
Hi all,

Does anyone here use AutoShare, or Zipcar?
I'm thinking about one or the other and would love to hear your feedback. (Are cars actually available? Is the service good? Does it work out to be a good value?)

Thanks!
 
I've read two positive articles in the past week (Star on Sunday and Globe today). I'm actually getting rid of my car this month (yeah!) and joining Autoshare so I'll let you know my success in reserving the car when I need it (although I will not be a heavy user, which is why I'm getting rid of my car).
 
I'm signed on with ZipCar. I recently had a baby and need easy access to a car without actually having to own it. The ZipCar location is literally 50 feet from the door of my condo. Cars have been available the three times I needed them recently. Sure cheaper than owning. All good for me so far.

I went with ZipCar because its close to home. Funny thing, within a month of Zip opening up Autoshare showed up across the street.
 
I have zipcar in NY. I am about to cancel my membership as car availability issues is a problem there. And since you can use it in Toronto, the prices were more expensive for entire weekends then renting it on expedia. So, I bought a Mini Cooper, perfect for the city + weekend gettaways.

You never know what you are going to get with the car. Maybe because the cars are more used in NYC, my last rental the entire car interior was peppered with sand, and there was garbage in the passenger front seat. Other times, the rentals go smoothly except that if I want a car thats not 60 blocks away, I have to reserve months in advance. But, I realize now that they are better for renting for a couple of hours, but not entire days.
 
Oh yeah, a piece of advice, always take the car keys. After the car gets some wear on it, its possible that the sensor in the top corner of the interior windshield, where you scan your zip card, can come unstuck from the windshield, which will lock you out of the car if you didn't take the keys. It almost happened to me, thankfully, I took the keys. But when I returned it, and the left the keys inside the car, the scan thin fell off again the windsheild. Don't know how the next person/parking attendant was going to open it up again.
 
Its been announced in The Star (at this link) that Avis bought Zipcar.

Avis Budget Group purchasing Zipcar in a deal worth nearly $500 million

Avis is buying Zipcar for $491.2 million, expanding its offerings from traditional car rentals to car sharing services.

Car sharing has become a popular alternative to traditional rentals in metropolitan areas and on college campuses, allowing members to quickly procure a vehicle for quick trips. Zipcar, which was founded in 2000, has more than 760,000 members. It went public in 2011.

“By combining with Zipcar, we will significantly increase our growth potential, both in the United States and internationally, and will position our company to better serve a greater variety of consumer and commercial transportation needs,” said Avis Chairman and CEO Ronald Nelson.

Bringing the Avis fleet into play will also help Zipcar meet high demand on weekends, Avis said, when most people make a run to the grocery store or run other errands.

Avis Budget Group Inc. will pay $12.25 per share, which is a 49 per cent premium to Zipcar’s Friday closing price. The companies put the total value of the deal at approximately $500 million.

Zipcar Inc. has about 40.1 million outstanding shares, according to FactSet. It will become an Avis subsidiary and have headquarters in Boston Shares jumped more than 47 per cent in premarket trading Monday.

The boards of both companies unanimously approved the buyout.

Avis anticipates $50 million to $70 million in annual savings. The Parsippany, N.J. company also expects the acquisition will add to its adjusted earnings per share in the second year after it is complete.

Avis said that it expects certain members of Zipcar management, including Chairman and CEO Scott Griffith and President and Chief Operating Officer Mark Norman, to help run its day-to-day operations.

If Zipcar shareholders approve the deal, it’s expected to close in the spring.

Avis also maintained its 2012 adjusted earnings forecast Monday of about $2.35 to $2.45 per share on revenue of approximately $7.3 billion.

Analysts predict earnings of $2.42 per share on revenue of $7.3 billion.
Click to expand...
 
I've never used any of the carshare companies, but I have to say that the newer car2go (I think it's called) seems to have the best model. It's just like Bixi: pick up a car from anywhere, drop it off anywhere (approved spots obviously). The ability to make one-way trips is the thing that might finally get me to sign up. Has anyone used it yet? I'd be interested to hear how it works in practice.
 
Haven't used it (I own a car), but I see the cars out and about quite a bit. I love the model!
 
Car2go

Hank said:
I've never used any of the carshare companies, but I have to say that the newer car2go (I think it's called) seems to have the best model. It's just like Bixi: pick up a car from anywhere, drop it off anywhere (approved spots obviously). The ability to make one-way trips is the thing that might finally get me to sign up. Has anyone used it yet? I'd be interested to hear how it works in practice.
Click to expand...

I've been a Car2go member since they started in Toronto, and I'm happy with it. It's the first carshare I've used. I rarely need to drive (maybe once per month) so I've only used it about a half-dozen times in total. In every case there's been a car available in a Green P within a 5 minute walk, save one exception when I had to walk 10 minutes (I'm near the Distillery). And at the end of the trip I can always leave it in the closest lot. Even with the recent price increases (now $13/hr and $72/day max) it's still a lot cheaper than most traditional car rentals and a heck of a lot more convenient. I love just being able to find and reserve a car online right before I leave, or just walking up to a lot and grabbing one. The automated swipe, PIN, and touchscreen have always worked fine for me. I've never had to buy gas. And just parking it, swiping off and walking away at the end is a good feeling.

The Smart cars are definitely different to drive than "normal cars, even smaller ones like the Civic I used to own. The tiny size is great for downtown but I found the "automated manual transmission" takes some getting used to as there's a definite delay between when you put your foot down and when the gear shifts. Basically just don't drive aggressively. I've even taken a car to York Region, it's a little scary on the 404 but I didn't have any major problems hanging cautiously in the right lane. The 401 with multiple lane changes might be a bit much, though, it's definitely a city car.

My only complaints so far are one car that had the parking brake jammed on so hard I couldn't release it (I just took another car in the same lot) and a lack of promised snow scraper/brush in two cars. Other than that, I'm happy to be free of the big rental companies with their full-day minimum rentals, paperwork, expensive collision protection, and general unpredictability.
 
CityPainter said:
I've been a Car2go member since they started in Toronto, and I'm happy with it. It's the first carshare I've used. I rarely need to drive (maybe once per month) so I've only used it about a half-dozen times in total. In every case there's been a car available in a Green P within a 5 minute walk, save one exception when I had to walk 10 minutes (I'm near the Distillery). And at the end of the trip I can always leave it in the closest lot. Even with the recent price increases (now $13/hr and $72/day max) it's still a lot cheaper than most traditional car rentals and a heck of a lot more convenient. I love just being able to find and reserve a car online right before I leave, or just walking up to a lot and grabbing one. The automated swipe, PIN, and touchscreen have always worked fine for me. I've never had to buy gas. And just parking it, swiping off and walking away at the end is a good feeling.

The Smart cars are definitely different to drive than "normal cars, even smaller ones like the Civic I used to own. The tiny size is great for downtown but I found the "automated manual transmission" takes some getting used to as there's a definite delay between when you put your foot down and when the gear shifts. Basically just don't drive aggressively. I've even taken a car to York Region, it's a little scary on the 404 but I didn't have any major problems hanging cautiously in the right lane. The 401 with multiple lane changes might be a bit much, though, it's definitely a city car.

My only complaints so far are one car that had the parking brake jammed on so hard I couldn't release it (I just took another car in the same lot) and a lack of promised snow scraper/brush in two cars. Other than that, I'm happy to be free of the big rental companies with their full-day minimum rentals, paperwork, expensive collision protection, and general unpredictability.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info!
 
Although I haven't used it myself, I do know people living downtown who do use it and they all say they love it. The single day cost of using the car may at first seem a little high to many lifelong drivers who compare it to how much they pay in gas but what many of the drivers forget to include in the equation is the cost of buying the car, parking the car, maintaining the car, auto insurance and depreciation on the vehicle. It's much less costly than taking a taxi around and at the end of the day, you just drop off the car and don't even think about it again. I really like the business model and am happy that it's been well-received in the city.
 
I just got an email from Zipcar yesterday regarding a new membership status. I gave up my membership 2 years ago, so this is an attempt at getting old users back.

I would no longer require a membership to use a car during weekdays, and still get the same rate as any other member. If I wanted to use a car on a weekend, I would need to reactivate my membership and pay the yearly fee. Not a bad deal, considering I rarely ever used it on weekends to begin with!
 
You must log in or register to post here.

Back
Top