Peer-to-Peer Car Sharing the Next Big Thing

When I decided to experiment with going car-less over a year ago, I was afraid to get rid of my car completely by selling it, so I decided to rent it to a friend for six months with the caveat that I could use it in case of an emergency. Little did I know I was at the forefront of a movement.
Peer-to-Peer car sharing is different from traditional car sharing like Zipcar in that it allows people to rent out their own vehicles to others at rates set by the car owners themselves. An article in Time this week explores the present state of peer-to-peer car sharing in particular the impact on the auto industry and traditional car sharing.
Author's note: Lanier Parking Solutions is a partner with Zipcar in the Atlanta market.

Zipcar IPO Draws Huge Attention in the Financial World

Congratulations to Zipcar on its successful IPO. Zipcar, Inc. (NASDAQ: ZIP), the "wheels when you want them" company with which Lanier partnered to bring to Atlanta in 2007, raised over $174 million in its initial offering, 31 percent more than they sought.
Check out the article here.
Carsharing companies declined to enter the Atlanta market until Lanier Parking Solutions struck a deal with Flexcar, which Zipcar acquired in 2008. Lanier provided access to its more than 100,000 Atlanta parking spaces for the placement of cars in high-profile locations. It also promoted Zipcar and offered discounted Zipcar membership through Lanier's website.
Since I gave up my personal car three months ago, I have had several occasions to use Zipcar. It's a great way to "complete the trip," going where public transportation doesn't.
Give it a try, and tell me what you think!

Moving Beyond the Automobile

Streetfilms, known for "documenting livable streets worldwide," has begun a ten-part video series called Moving Beyond the Automobile that focuses on non-automobile transportation in cities across the U.S. The films highlight a movement away from the auto as a primary source of transportation to other modes.

The available films include transit oriented development, carsharing, bicycling, with traffic calming, bus rapid transit. Others will follow. All of these ideas are practical and realistic and are becoming more acceptable as gas prices rise and cities look for ways to relieve congestion at lower costs.

Streetfilms has talked to dozens of transportation authorities across the country to bring these ideas to life. These include well-respected voices such as former Bogotá mayor Enrique Peñalosa, Tri-state Transportation's Kate Slevin, Commissioner of NYC Department of Transportation Janette Sadik-Khan, Portland's Mayor Sam Adams, former four-term Milwaukee Mayor and President of the Congress for New Urbanism John Norquist.

I recommend you make these films regular viewing.

Carpooling in the 21st Century

I was recently thinking about carpooling and how it has evolved over the past decade or two. Carpooling used to be something you could only do in person. You had to know someone (co-worker, neighborhood or family member) who happen to be going in the same direction.
Then came ridematch databases that matched people within a certain employer or area. Sure, you did not know the person, but you could take comfort in that they were like-minded and employed.
Today, you can arrange carpooling online at http://www.goloco.org/ and http://www.erideshare.com/. These services allow for all types of trips (e.g. employee, special events, grocery store) in real time using your Internet phone. The online carpooling is just in the infancy stage, but you can imagine in 20-30 years when 15% of an urban area is looking for a ride. One thing all of this traditional carpooling has in common is that it involves prearrangement through some mechanism, such as online or work-based matching. Still, the future seems to hold the prospect of a system designed around carpooling without prearrangement (two types of carpooling without prearrangement have been going on for some time in Washington D.C. and San Fransisco). This is called fexible carpooling. Learn more about it here.

Zipcar chief on CNBC

Zipcar Chief Executive Scott Griffith appeared on CNBC this week to explain why "cars on demand" makes sense for people who live in cities and don't need a car all the time.

http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=996618094

He points out that Zipcar is not only for transit-oriented cities like New York. It is exceeding expectations here in Atlanta, where Lanier Parking Solutions is Zipcar's joint-venture partner, having brought the concept to the city in 2006.

You can get a discount on a Zipcar membership by applying through http://www.lanierparking.com/.

Rental car company entering hourly car-sharing market

Further proof the Zipcar model works. The Wall Street Journal reports Hertz Corp. is launching an hourly rental car service in New York, London, Paris and Park Ridge, New Jersey.

Zipcar Chief Executive Scott Griffith says the news is "a complete validation of the large-scale potential of the category."

We at Lanier Parking Solutions brought Zipcar to Atlanta because we were able to see its potential in a market that traditionally wouldn’t fit the car sharing model (i.e. lower density and higher car ownership rates).
Our joint venture partnership with Zipcar in Atlanta is the perfect marriage of parking and car-sharing. It allows members to find Zipcars all over the city at great locations that Lanier helped to secure.
As I’ve mentioned before in this blog, anyone can get a discount on a Zipcar membership by applying through http://www.lanierparking.com/.

Have you tried Zipcar? Here's a cheap way to have Wheels When You Need Them

One of the biggest impediments for carsharing to enter a new city is the cost and availability of parking. This is especially the case in cities such as San Francisco, New York and Boston where parking is a premium. It is also an issue in Midtown and downtown Atlanta.
Through a unique partnership between Lanier Parking Solutions and Zipcar, we were able to address this concern. Lanier provides free parking for Zipcars, enabling carsharing to come to our city years before the market would have allowed it.

Special deal on Lanier Zipcar

You can try Lanier Zipcar at a discount. If you apply using this link, Zipcar will waive the $25 application fee and cut your annual fee in half to just $25. You'll also get discounted hourly and daily rates.
Check it out, and let me know how it goes.
If you're not familiar with Zipcar, read this story that the AJC did in September.