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GO-AutoShare collaboration will cut number of commutes to Mississauga
National Post
Published: Friday, May 05, 2006
Driving around Mississauga without driving there will be an option if a pilot project between GO Transit and AutoShare takes off. GO has given the self-service hourly rental company a parking space at the Port Credit station where members can pick up a car. This will serve those working in downtown Toronto who have meetings in Mississauga. If the six-month experiment is popular, Go Transit CEO Gary McNeil said the company will discuss expanding the project. "It really gives people an alternative way of doing things without their car," Mr. McNeil said. AutoShare president Kevin McLaughlin says 40% of members sell their vehicle or avoid buying one, and each AutoShare car replaces eight on the highway.
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Car-sharing service rides into Toronto
Zipcars
Peter Kuitenbrouwer and Susan Kirwin, National Post
Published: Tuesday, May 09, 2006
A U.S. company that allows people to rent cars for a few hours at a time, with minimal paperwork, is making its entry into the Toronto market today as the city's appetite for "car-sharing" appears to be on the rise.
Zipcar, launched in Boston in 1999, operates 1,500 vehicles in such cities as San Francisco, New York and Washington, D.C. In its first push outside the United States, Zipcar launches today with 12 cars and plans to operate 50 cars in Toronto by month's end.
Zipcar plans to park the cars at parking spots around Toronto.
Users can register for $25 on the company's Web site, zipar.com. Zipcar sends them a card; a user then uses the Internet to reserve a car.
According to Scott Griffith, Zipcar's chief executive, the company's software will then send a wireless e-mail to a computer inside the company's car. Another e-mail goes to the member, telling them where to pick up their car.
Then, when the Zipcar member arrives at the car, they wave their card at a spot near the driver-side visor, which will unlock the car door.
Each car contains a debit card that the driver can use to top up the gasoline. After the rental, the company sends the user a bill. A standard sedan such as a Mazda 3 will rent for $11 an hour; a Mini Cooper will rent for $13 an hour, he said.
"This is good for someone who has a dinner party on Saturday night, and it's Thursday, and she needs to run a few errands," Mr. Griffith said. "It's less than an all-day rental. And it's more convenient. You don't have to deal with a human being."
Zipcar will compete with AutoShare, which began in Toronto 1998 with three cars and now has over 2,500 members who use 100 cars in 60 locations.
AutoShare (autoshare.com) membership costs $500, but the company says renting its cars costs about $6 an hour. The company president, Kevin McLaughlin, said AutoShare is growing at a rate of 40% to 60% a year.
Last week the company began a pilot project with Go Transit, which gave Autoshare a parking space at the Port Credit Go station. If the project expands it could increase both GO ridership and car-sharing.
''There are a lot more people who don't want to own a car and clearly don't need to own a car,'' said Mr. McLaughlin. ''It's easier to live in Toronto without a car.''
''The market is miniscule compared to what it will be,'' said Mr. McLaughlin.
Some questions I would raise over a car sharing service like this...
- Does a service like this show that GO is content with not being able to provide service to all parts of the GTA? Is GO making a compromise?
- What does starting this service in Mississauga say about the city... that even transit passengers can't get around Mississauga without a car?
GO-AutoShare collaboration will cut number of commutes to Mississauga
National Post
Published: Friday, May 05, 2006
Driving around Mississauga without driving there will be an option if a pilot project between GO Transit and AutoShare takes off. GO has given the self-service hourly rental company a parking space at the Port Credit station where members can pick up a car. This will serve those working in downtown Toronto who have meetings in Mississauga. If the six-month experiment is popular, Go Transit CEO Gary McNeil said the company will discuss expanding the project. "It really gives people an alternative way of doing things without their car," Mr. McNeil said. AutoShare president Kevin McLaughlin says 40% of members sell their vehicle or avoid buying one, and each AutoShare car replaces eight on the highway.
Link to article
Car-sharing service rides into Toronto
Zipcars
Peter Kuitenbrouwer and Susan Kirwin, National Post
Published: Tuesday, May 09, 2006
A U.S. company that allows people to rent cars for a few hours at a time, with minimal paperwork, is making its entry into the Toronto market today as the city's appetite for "car-sharing" appears to be on the rise.
Zipcar, launched in Boston in 1999, operates 1,500 vehicles in such cities as San Francisco, New York and Washington, D.C. In its first push outside the United States, Zipcar launches today with 12 cars and plans to operate 50 cars in Toronto by month's end.
Zipcar plans to park the cars at parking spots around Toronto.
Users can register for $25 on the company's Web site, zipar.com. Zipcar sends them a card; a user then uses the Internet to reserve a car.
According to Scott Griffith, Zipcar's chief executive, the company's software will then send a wireless e-mail to a computer inside the company's car. Another e-mail goes to the member, telling them where to pick up their car.
Then, when the Zipcar member arrives at the car, they wave their card at a spot near the driver-side visor, which will unlock the car door.
Each car contains a debit card that the driver can use to top up the gasoline. After the rental, the company sends the user a bill. A standard sedan such as a Mazda 3 will rent for $11 an hour; a Mini Cooper will rent for $13 an hour, he said.
"This is good for someone who has a dinner party on Saturday night, and it's Thursday, and she needs to run a few errands," Mr. Griffith said. "It's less than an all-day rental. And it's more convenient. You don't have to deal with a human being."
Zipcar will compete with AutoShare, which began in Toronto 1998 with three cars and now has over 2,500 members who use 100 cars in 60 locations.
AutoShare (autoshare.com) membership costs $500, but the company says renting its cars costs about $6 an hour. The company president, Kevin McLaughlin, said AutoShare is growing at a rate of 40% to 60% a year.
Last week the company began a pilot project with Go Transit, which gave Autoshare a parking space at the Port Credit Go station. If the project expands it could increase both GO ridership and car-sharing.
''There are a lot more people who don't want to own a car and clearly don't need to own a car,'' said Mr. McLaughlin. ''It's easier to live in Toronto without a car.''
''The market is miniscule compared to what it will be,'' said Mr. McLaughlin.
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Some questions I would raise over a car sharing service like this...
- Does a service like this show that GO is content with not being able to provide service to all parts of the GTA? Is GO making a compromise?
- What does starting this service in Mississauga say about the city... that even transit passengers can't get around Mississauga without a car?
