RamsayHank
01-26-2007, 10:30 PM
I didn't see this on the forum anywhere, but I think it's great news for Pittsburgh if it works. We've been carless in Seattle since we got here, but do use Flexcar on occasion when we need to make a big shopping trip for furniture, etc. It's actually a lot simpler than this article makes it sound.
http://pittsburgh.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/stories/2007/01/22/daily25.html?surround=lfn
Pittsburgh Business Times - 11:11 AM EST Thursday
by Jennifer Curry
Companies based Downtown and in Oakland will soon have a new transportation option: car sharing.
Flexcar, a Seattle-based company that rents cars on an hourly basis, will come to Pittsburgh for an 18-month trial run, company spokesman John Williams said.
"It's not a question of if, it's a question of when," he said.
Before Flexcar arrives, its local partner, the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, must secure 30 charter members to commit to Flexcar's pilot program. The partnership has 10 proposals out, but only one group, VisitPittsburgh, has signed up so far for the 100 hours per month of use.
"This plan is going to give us the flexibility to have multiple cars at the same time and service different purposes," said Joe McGrath, president and CEO of VisitPittsburgh, which in the past has relied on employee's own vehicles and rental vehicles to shuttle clients around to see the city.
Car sharing has been popular in Europe for years but is just now starting to take off in the United States, Williams said.
With Flexcar, employees who need to go to a meeting or a doctor's appointment and residents who live Downtown can schedule a time to rent one of Flexcar's rental cars for an hour. The cars would be strategically located throughout Downtown and Oakland. When they need a car, they would go to a designated parking spot, wave a Flexcard over the windshield to unlock the doors, and grab the keys out of the glove compartment.
"This is a way for them to overcome the issues associated with ... parking," said Michael Edwards, president of Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership. "Car sharing allows people to move Downtown and get rid of one car, maybe even both."
For employees or residents, the cost is $35 to register to become a Flexcar member with an additional fee of $40 a year. Rental costs are $9 an hour. Edwards did not, however, disclose the cost for companies to become charter members, but said that the partnership would be contributing $290,000 to the pilot program through a mix of PDP housing initiative funding and federal transportation money.
Edwards hopes Flexcar will launch in April 2007. Flexcar has agreed to commit 30 cars to the launch.
Williams said Flexcar operates in eight markets, and that Pittsburgh was attractive because of the interest leaders showed in having it here.
"Whenever there's a vested interest by stakeholders in the community to make this thing work, that's the strongest indication that this is a good place to be," he said.
jcurry@bizjournals.com | (412) 208-3820
http://pittsburgh.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/stories/2007/01/22/daily25.html?surround=lfn
Pittsburgh Business Times - 11:11 AM EST Thursday
by Jennifer Curry
Companies based Downtown and in Oakland will soon have a new transportation option: car sharing.
Flexcar, a Seattle-based company that rents cars on an hourly basis, will come to Pittsburgh for an 18-month trial run, company spokesman John Williams said.
"It's not a question of if, it's a question of when," he said.
Before Flexcar arrives, its local partner, the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, must secure 30 charter members to commit to Flexcar's pilot program. The partnership has 10 proposals out, but only one group, VisitPittsburgh, has signed up so far for the 100 hours per month of use.
"This plan is going to give us the flexibility to have multiple cars at the same time and service different purposes," said Joe McGrath, president and CEO of VisitPittsburgh, which in the past has relied on employee's own vehicles and rental vehicles to shuttle clients around to see the city.
Car sharing has been popular in Europe for years but is just now starting to take off in the United States, Williams said.
With Flexcar, employees who need to go to a meeting or a doctor's appointment and residents who live Downtown can schedule a time to rent one of Flexcar's rental cars for an hour. The cars would be strategically located throughout Downtown and Oakland. When they need a car, they would go to a designated parking spot, wave a Flexcard over the windshield to unlock the doors, and grab the keys out of the glove compartment.
"This is a way for them to overcome the issues associated with ... parking," said Michael Edwards, president of Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership. "Car sharing allows people to move Downtown and get rid of one car, maybe even both."
For employees or residents, the cost is $35 to register to become a Flexcar member with an additional fee of $40 a year. Rental costs are $9 an hour. Edwards did not, however, disclose the cost for companies to become charter members, but said that the partnership would be contributing $290,000 to the pilot program through a mix of PDP housing initiative funding and federal transportation money.
Edwards hopes Flexcar will launch in April 2007. Flexcar has agreed to commit 30 cars to the launch.
Williams said Flexcar operates in eight markets, and that Pittsburgh was attractive because of the interest leaders showed in having it here.
"Whenever there's a vested interest by stakeholders in the community to make this thing work, that's the strongest indication that this is a good place to be," he said.
jcurry@bizjournals.com | (412) 208-3820
