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ChineseFlexcar and Zipcar Merge to Become One
[tags]flexcar, zipcar, merger, los angeles, car sharing[/tags]
Whatever you call it – lovemaking, boning, the horizontal mambo, knocking boots, or corporate merger – there’s nothing quite as beautiful as when two become one. The lucky lovebirds in this case are Flexcar and Zipcar, two car-sharing companies that aim to change the way we think about getting around. Many Los Angeles MetroRider’s are familiar with Flexcar due to its growing presence in the region (there are currently 151 Flexcars in Los Angeles). Zipcar is popular in cities like Boston and Chicago… combined the two cover New York, Boston, Washington D.C., Chicago, San Francisco, Vancouver, Toronto, London, Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles, San Diego, Atlanta, Pittsburgh, and Philidelphia. Phew.
The plan, like most couplings, is to take the best parts of both companies and make the resulting service better than the originals. The new company will be called Zipcar as Flexcar sacrifices it’s naming rights for the greater good. I think this is a good idea because Zipcar seems to have more name recognition that Flexcar. Every time I told a friend from other urban areas that I was a Flexcar member, they would always say “Oh that’s called Zipcar here”.
As a current Flexcar member I’m really excited about this merger… I can only see good coming out of it. I really love Flexcar, but there were always some issues with their system, and after browsing the Zipcar website and reading up on some of their literature, it really seems like they’ve got it down. The reservation system seems to have a nice Google Maps interface and from what I’ve read there’s a mobile interface for making reservation, which is something Flexcar lacked. For Los Angeles, Flexcars will be transitioning over to Zipcars in January of 2008, and current members will be sent a Zipcard to replace their Flexcar Smart Card and be given some free driving credits just for activating their new cards.
More Info:
- Press Release: Zipcar and Flexcar agree to merge
- FAQ for current Flexcar members
- Seattle Times: Flexcar merges with rival Zipcar
Discussion
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great news. now they’ll have even more clout to sway LADOT to designate street parking for them on the westside and everywhere else in Los Angeles it hasn’t been able to tap.
I am in sales out of Santa Ana and wish these programs are super affordable. Sounds like a good merger.
That’s funny, the Militant has been to other cities where Flexcar exists and has never even heard of Zipcar before this post…