Living in San Francisco, which has a great mass transit system, I can get around really easy by bus and train. I have been car-less for over two years and I couldn’t be happier. Not only am I reducing my carbon imprint and saving tons of money, I am burning calories walking everywhere. The problem is there are times when carrying Ikea furniture, or 5 bags of groceries home on the bus is just not an option. That’s where Zipcar or other car share programs have taken the market by storm!
The various car share programs offered here in San Francisco and in thousands of other cities offer an inexpensive and super convenient way to get you a set of wheels when you want them. How does it work?
Zipcar, for example, has a huge fleet of cars that they park in various lots around the city. At the moment, Zipcars can be found on almost every block. As a member you can rent a variety of different cars to suit your needs by the hour or day. When you sign up you are given a card that electronically opens the car from the outside, while the keys are waiting for you on the dash. Awesome, I know!! Oh yeah and gas, insurance and miles are included.
As a new member of Zipcar I just can’t get enough of how convenient this set up is. I don’t have to deal with parking, which can be a nightmare to say the least, and if I only need a car for an hour all I owe is $7 bucks!
So, as you can imagine, I am stoked to hear that the two largest and only nationwide car share companies, Zipcar and Flexcar, are merging. All that means is more cars for more people, only when they really need them.
The hope is that people will ditch their car, start taking more mass transit, and only rent a car when they really need it. Thus reducing the ridiculous amounts of CO2 we produce every year.
To find out if Zipcar is available in a city near you, check out their website, and start greening your commute.
