WASHINGTON (AFP) — Car sharing is racing ahead full-throttle in the US market as Americans look for ways to cope with record fuel costs and be environmentally friendly at the same time.
Consumers who want to avoid the problems of car ownership or of owning a second vehicle can rent a car for an hour, a day or several days with fuel and insurance included.
Zipcar, the market leader after merging with rival Flexcar, provides its customers with electronic cards to unlock the doors for cars that are reserved online.
Members pay six to 12 dollars per hour, or 56 to 100 dollars per day, along with an annual membership fee. The company says members save as much as 435 dollars per month or 5,000 dollars annually compared with the cost of owning a vehicle.
Zipcar claims 200,000 members who share its 5,000 cars, located in major cities and on university campuses across the United States. It also has vehicles in Canada and Britain.
"Using our cars is a lifestyle choice; through surveys we found out that many people find they don't need a car," said Zipcar chief executive Scott Griffith.
"We can give them the same freedom of car ownership at a much lower cost."
Car sharing is the ideal solution for urbanites who need a vehicle for occasional grocery shopping or evenings on the town, according to members.
But environmental concerns are also a motivating factor.
"More and more people are interested in having a sustainable way of life," Griffith said.
Zipcar claims that 40 percent of its members would have kept a vehicle, or would have purchased a primary or secondary vehicle, if Zipcar did not exist. This results in 15 fewer cars for each of its Zipcars, less congestion and diminished need for land and parking.
Griffith said that with gasoline hitting records around four dollars per gallon (3.8 liters) in the United States, new members are citing the high price of fuel as a main reason to join.
Car usage, according to Zipcar, could drop as much as 50 percent, another environmental benefit.
Susan Shaheen, research director of the Transportation Sustainability Research Center at the University of California, said companies like Zipcar are changing the consumer love affair with cars.
"It causes vehicle owners to reevaluate their vehicle usage and whether or not they need to own a vehicle," she said.
"In many ways, car sharing can be perceived as a cultural change or notable shift in peoples' attitudes toward vehicle ownership due to the lifestyle and status importance of car ownership in the US."
The researcher said the market for car sharing in the United States is more than two million people.
As a result, Zipcar is facing competition. Auto rental giant Hertz is starting short-term car-sharing and truck rental group U-Haul is trying a similar program.
Griffith said his company remains out in front of its rivals, and is looking ahead toward new markets in Europe such as Paris or Barcelona.
"We see good growth opportunities for us," he said.
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