Zipcar new option for conscientious drivers
Zipcar is a car-sharing service available in many major U.S. cities. Depending on how often you drive, Zipcar could save you a little money and a lot of stress.
The economy, increased concern for the environment and more options are causing more and more people to use public transportation every day. However, sometimes the bus is inconvenient or you need to get out of town. That’s where Zipcar comes in.
Freedom isn’t free
Using Zipcar’s service isn’t cheap, but for some it could be a lot less expensive than their current situations. But first, what is Zipcar? You can sign up to use the company’s fleet of vehicles online at www.zipcar.com. Zipcar is a car-sharing service that lets you sign up to use vehicles by the hour or by the day.
With a little simple math, you can figure out whether Zipcar is your key to saving money. So before you get a payday loan to cover your signup fee, let’s …
Do the math
The main benefit of using Zipcar is that you don’t have to own a car or pay for insurance separately. Anyone who plans to use a car once per month or more should probably go for the “extra value plans,” which cost $50 per month, minimum.
There’s a $25 signup fee, and the monthly fee covers gas, insurance and 180 miles. So, let’s say you need a bus pass for everyday stuff, and that’s $30. If your gas and insurance cost more than $80 per month, you might be a good candidate for Zipcar. Once you factor in the cost of car maintenance including replacing tires, oil changes and fixing anything that breaks, Zipcars start to look pretty attractive.
Extra costs
So, for an “extra value plan,” the cost is between $8 and $9 an hour, depending on which city you live in. However, the $50 per month goes toward that cost, so you don’t have to pay extra unless you exceed five and a half hours of driving or so.
Also, if you want to use the car for the whole day it’s $60 to $70. As you can see, if you use Zipcars very frequently, it can get expensive. Zipcars aren’t for driving to and from work every day. But if you just want to use a Zipcar for a couple of hours on the weekend to go to the laundromat or grocery store, you might be a great candidate for Zipcar. Plus, you won’t have to worry about the responsibility that comes with owning a vehicle.
Snazzy Zipcar technology
After you sign up to use Zipcar and receive your Zipcard, you can find nearby vehicles and reserve cars online. Zipcar uses radio frequency identification so that when you wave your Zipcard over a mechanism behind the windshield, you reserved car unlocks.
If you booked your reservation for a certain number of hours, alerts tell you when you’re getting close to the end of your reservation. In many cases car usage can be extended.
To get all of the details about Zipcar, including which U.S. cities currently have Zipcars available, visit www.zipcar.com.
Thats a really great idea.. this would be perfect candidate for the situations in which we need to hire a taxi. Instead of that, just use a zipcar.