ZipCar (http://www.zipcar.com)

We don't have ZipCar here in Seattle, but I'm a very happy member with Flexcar , another car-sharing business. For me, car-sharing is a valuable part of living carless (i.e., not owning a car...nine years and counting). Not sure about ZipCar rates, but my Flexcar rate makes it a cost-effective way of taking care of occasional big shopping (at least 'til I get an Xtracycle or a trailer, heh), day hiking in the area, and picking up friends and family from the airport. (For going away for the weekend, I can usually find a better deal renting a car.) Plus, Flexcar has lots of hybrids on their fleet, which is a plus for treehuggers like myself. (: I also find it convenient that Flexcar has vehicle locations close to my workplace, which simplifies running a quick errand during the business day if biking/busing isn't feasible...maybe check for that before signing up?...

Got any specific questions or concerns that you think I could speak to, in spite of not having direct experience with ZipCar?

Congratulations on getting rid of your car! (: Hope you enjoy the freedom from expense and worry...

By the way...

More info about car-sharing, including ZipCar and Flexcar, is in the October issue of NRDC's This Green Life. It includes links to news stories about car-sharing, too.

http://www.nrdc.org/thisgreenlife/default.asp

Zipcar and autoshare (Canadian version) are battling it out in Toronto. Its perfect for certain situation. Some of the Zipcar locations in Toronto are right beside a grocery store.

Need to combine some shopping and maybe a few other large purchases? Ride your bike to the grocery store, buy groceries (than pick up car) buy your other stuff, drop stuuf off at home, return the car and get your bike. No need for a car to drive around the city ever again.

its a great system and it can make economic sense if you are ditching your car (no insurance, maintenance, initial purchase etc.).

OrangePatriot said:

Has anyone out there used ZipCar?? My wife and I have just sold our car and are thinking of signing up for ZipCar for those rare occasions when we NEED to drive....

Any info, good or bad, would be appreciated.

Car sharing systems such as Zipcar and others have become common, as they pose a viable alternative for car ownership to many. Zipcar itself has expanded to 46 college campuses and over a dozen cities worldwide. Well, so far, there are only about 5,000 members. It is estimated that 4 million people or more will be using car sharing services by 2016. Resource for this article: Car sharing service Zipcar now on 46 college campuses.

What has this got to do with commuting on a bike and bike road safety?