Zipcar mileage limit drivers#
For occasional drivers it is usually cheaper to use ZipCar than to pay to own a car. While using the car, if the member wants to return the car earlier or later, she can access her booking and amend it subject to availability. After a member has booked a car in advance, she uses her ZipCard by placing it on a sensor in the windscreen to enter the car. Each vehicle is fitted with a “kill switch” that allows the company to remotely prevent the car from starting in the event of theft. ZipCar maintains a fleet of nearly 10,000 vehicles of different types. After the vehicle is used it is returned to the same location with a minimum of 1⁄4 tank of fuel onboard. A refuelling card is provided should the vehicle need refuelling during use, and a book is provided to record any damage found on the vehicle or caused during use. Once inside the car, the ignition keys are found within the glovebox. The cars are fitted with technology that enables the cars to be unlocked by a ZipCard, which each member has, or by a smartphone. ZipCar owns the cars and agrees with city councils and universities to provide dedicated parking spaces, and ZipCar members can see through the website or the app where cars are located. ZipCars are available only to ZipCar members, charged by the hour (prices include fuel and insurance), are bookable in advance and collectable from multiple locations typically in densely populated residential areas. The principal value proposition to the user is access to a range of cars 24-hours a day without the burden of ownership. Customers become members and must be 21 years or older, unless they are affiliated with a university that offers ZipCars, in which case they must be 18 or older. ZipCar is for people, usually city residents, who need occasional access to a car, but who prefer not to carry the expense and burden of owning one. By January 2014 Zipcar has 850,000 members, more than 700 employees and 11,000 cars available in the U.S., Canada and Europe.Īlthough ZipCar has bought several competitors in recent years, other competitors do exist including Car2Go and DriveNow, and peer-to-peer firms like RelayRides and Uber.
The logic behind the Avis acquisition is they saw a synergy for fleet optimisation since their vehicles are used mainly during the week, whilst ZipCars are used mainly on weekends.
Zipcar mileage limit series#
In December 2002 ZipCar raises US$4.7m in a series B round.The service mobilises location- based technology by helping customers and ZipCar locate the vehicles, cardkey technology to unlock vehicles and smartphone technology allowing customers to make and alter their booking from their mobile device.įounded in Cambridge, Massachusetts by Antje Danielson and Robin Chase, ZipCar debuted its first cars on the streets of Boston and Cambridge in June 2000 after raising an initial US$75,000. Bookings are made in advance by telephone, through the website or the app. The sells access to a network of cars owned by ZipCar located in densely populated residential areas to drivers who need a car for a short time. ZipCar represents a product business model in the automotive industry that mobilizes location technology and cardkey technology.