Post by bennyp81 on Jun 23, 2005 9:24:18 GMT -8
Mart
User ID: 0854544 Feb 5th 2:17 AM
Learning to Share
Flexcar Tries to Convince Angelenos That They Don't Need to Own a Car
by Jason Mandell
Few aspects of life in Los Angeles are as damaging to people's quality of life as traffic. Flexcar, a young, small company that rents cars by the hour, is out to combat the problem. While the more established names in the industry require a minimum of one full day, Flexcar rents vehicles for about $9 an hour.
The idea is to persuade the residents of L.A. to carpool or take public transit to work and, if they need a car while on the job, rent one for an hour or two.
While it has had success in cities like Seattle, some expect Flexcar will have trouble winning over Los Angeles residents, many of whom depend on their cars and the freeway system.
Still, Michael Woo, the general manager of Flexcar's L.A. branch, said the company's niche is drivers who are eager to make the switch to ridesharing or public transportation.
"We are targeting people who want to leave their cars at home but are reluctant to do it because they need their cars for brief periods during the day," said Woo.
Flexcar introduced its first two cars in Downtown in October at Union Station, and last week added four vehicles in the Central Business District. The cars are in parking structures at the Union Bank building, the World Trade Center, the Chamber of Commerce and the former Sanwa Bank Plaza. An additional vehicle is at a lot at the University of Southern California.
Woo said Flexcar is designed for people who make occasional mid-day jaunts to business meetings, lunches or doctors appointments but otherwise don't need a vehicle. The goal, he says, is to encourage people to leave their cars at home, reducing L.A.'s notorious gridlock and air pollution.
Flexcar is run on a co-op-like system. Customers either pay each time they rent, or sign up for membership. A rate calculator on the company's website (www.flexcar.com) lets members determine which rate program makes the most financial sense based on how often they use the vehicles. At the end of each month, the customer's credit card gets billed.
Instead of paying for gas, members are rewarded for filling their tanks. Each Flexcar contains a gas card, which works as a credit card at gas stations. The company, not the driver, gets the bill. Every time a customer fills up the car, his or her account receives a $5 credit.
Rather than keys, Flexcar assigns its users pin numbers to start the vehicles and magnetic cards that open the door with a simple swipe. The cards also enable customers to pick up or drop off a car 24 hours a day, without dealing with an attendant. Drivers can reserve cars a few days in advance.
Angela Pina, a document control assistant for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), last week used Flexcar to travel to an afternoon doctor appointment in Torrance from her office in Downtown. Pina said she was impressed at how user-friendly the Flexcar is.
"The car was exactly where they said it would be," said Pina. "You swipe your card, put in your pin number, start the car and you're on your way."
Via Europe and Seattle
Flexcar was founded three years ago in Seattle by Neil Peterson, the former executive director of the L.A. County Transportation Commission (LACTC). Peterson started the company after discovering similar programs in Europe, where 13 countries have car share systems. Flexcar caught on, and by the end of 2002, the Seattle division claimed about 5,000 members sharing 78 cars.
The company opened offices in Portland, Ore. and Washington, D.C before spreading to San Diego, San Francisco and L.A. When Peterson asked Woo, a former Los Angeles City Councilmember and mayoral candidate, to head up the L.A. branch, Woo jumped.
"It's not often that you have a chance to help launch an innovative business," said Woo, who had worked with Peterson at the LACTC. "Especially a business that addresses one of the top problems in L.A. -- traffic."
Woo said that initially, when the company sought to expand to Los Angeles, a city famous for its love of the automobile, many were skeptical. Unlike other, more compact metropolitan areas, L.A.'s sprawl often makes using public transportation difficult. Few commuters who can afford a car choose to do without one.
Marc Littman, an MTA spokesperson, said that while the MTA supports Flexcar, he is doubtful that the cars will prompt very many people to opt for public transit instead of driving. Littman said the majority of those who ride the city's buses and subways do so out of financial necessity.
Woo admits that business has been slow so far, with the first cars only being rented a couple times each day. He acknowledged that convincing Angelenos to abandon their own cars, even for the daily commute, is an uphill battle.
Flexcar's Downtown fleet is comprised of Honda Civics (Honda is also one of the company's major investors). Woo said plans are underway to bring in a batch of Civic hybrid cars, which run on a combination of gas and electricity and are touted as more eco-friendly.
Despite the company's environmental and urban planning bent, Woo recognizes that for many customers, the businesses' major selling points are its economic value and convenience. The average driver, said Woo, "is paying for the 24 hour cost of owning and operating a car when most people only use a car three hours a day." Flexcar, he says, "offers the freedom of driving without the hassle of owning a car."
Tom Olson, a Seattle resident who has been a Flexcar member for two years, said he is able to get where he needs to go without owning his own car. Olson had been taking the bus to work for years, using his car only for errands, until a friend wrecked it.
"I realized I really didn't need a car," said Olson, a teacher, who spends about $90 a month on Flexcar. "I was spending lots of money on parking garages and maintenance. I was only using the car four or five times a month."
Flexcar's success in Seattle has not convinced everyone that it will triumph in Los Angeles. The company, said Woo, has been accused of transplanting Seattle's environmentalist approach to L.A., which is often regarded as an SUV haven.
Still, that may change, as Gov. Gray Davis considers whether to raise the vehicle license fee on cars worth more than $5,000 to help shore up the state budget deficit.
Woo said his aim is to show Angelenos that car sharing fits their situation. "People do have to drive," observed Woo, "but they don't have to drive their own cars."
Roberto
User ID: 9161143 Feb 5th 5:57 AM
This is great ... I just hope that they haven't brought this to L.A. before the city is ready ... demand for this type of service is increasing, but we might still be a rail line or two short for demand to be huge.
I bet if Expo, Green Line to LAX, and the Eastside Line were all in place, business would be fairly strong at Flexcar.
And I wish reporters would stop making it sound like L.A. was born as an automobile haven ... it was not, it was a streetcar/rail capital. They tried to convert it in the 60's and 70's, but it killed our streetlife and drained our city of its soul. Thus L.A. fell into decay for the latter half of the 20th century.
Now that some rail lines are in place, FINALLY areas like Hollywood and Downtown are starting to come back to life. I find it no coincidence that all previous revitalization efforts failed until the trains were there to bring pedestrians back into those neighborhoods. I really think we are are only about 3 or 4 Metro Rail lines away from creating a vibrant L.A. that will no longer be put to shame by New York, Chicago, and San Francisco.
Roberto
User ID: 9161143 Feb 5th 6:00 AM
Could Michael Woo somehow be recruited to help out with transportation issues? He is well-known in L.A. and I'm sure if he spoke out, the local news stations would air it. Plus he has a business interest in promoting public transportation.
Cliffj
User ID: 0812164 Feb 6th 5:28 AM
To borrow from another thread, THIS is the kind of advertising that's needed in Red Line stations!
I think I will consider using Flexcar when I travel up to LA via train from now on.
[Note: For more information about Flexcar, visit www.flexcar.com --bennyp81]
User ID: 0854544 Feb 5th 2:17 AM
Learning to Share
Flexcar Tries to Convince Angelenos That They Don't Need to Own a Car
by Jason Mandell
Few aspects of life in Los Angeles are as damaging to people's quality of life as traffic. Flexcar, a young, small company that rents cars by the hour, is out to combat the problem. While the more established names in the industry require a minimum of one full day, Flexcar rents vehicles for about $9 an hour.
The idea is to persuade the residents of L.A. to carpool or take public transit to work and, if they need a car while on the job, rent one for an hour or two.
While it has had success in cities like Seattle, some expect Flexcar will have trouble winning over Los Angeles residents, many of whom depend on their cars and the freeway system.
Still, Michael Woo, the general manager of Flexcar's L.A. branch, said the company's niche is drivers who are eager to make the switch to ridesharing or public transportation.
"We are targeting people who want to leave their cars at home but are reluctant to do it because they need their cars for brief periods during the day," said Woo.
Flexcar introduced its first two cars in Downtown in October at Union Station, and last week added four vehicles in the Central Business District. The cars are in parking structures at the Union Bank building, the World Trade Center, the Chamber of Commerce and the former Sanwa Bank Plaza. An additional vehicle is at a lot at the University of Southern California.
Woo said Flexcar is designed for people who make occasional mid-day jaunts to business meetings, lunches or doctors appointments but otherwise don't need a vehicle. The goal, he says, is to encourage people to leave their cars at home, reducing L.A.'s notorious gridlock and air pollution.
Flexcar is run on a co-op-like system. Customers either pay each time they rent, or sign up for membership. A rate calculator on the company's website (www.flexcar.com) lets members determine which rate program makes the most financial sense based on how often they use the vehicles. At the end of each month, the customer's credit card gets billed.
Instead of paying for gas, members are rewarded for filling their tanks. Each Flexcar contains a gas card, which works as a credit card at gas stations. The company, not the driver, gets the bill. Every time a customer fills up the car, his or her account receives a $5 credit.
Rather than keys, Flexcar assigns its users pin numbers to start the vehicles and magnetic cards that open the door with a simple swipe. The cards also enable customers to pick up or drop off a car 24 hours a day, without dealing with an attendant. Drivers can reserve cars a few days in advance.
Angela Pina, a document control assistant for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), last week used Flexcar to travel to an afternoon doctor appointment in Torrance from her office in Downtown. Pina said she was impressed at how user-friendly the Flexcar is.
"The car was exactly where they said it would be," said Pina. "You swipe your card, put in your pin number, start the car and you're on your way."
Via Europe and Seattle
Flexcar was founded three years ago in Seattle by Neil Peterson, the former executive director of the L.A. County Transportation Commission (LACTC). Peterson started the company after discovering similar programs in Europe, where 13 countries have car share systems. Flexcar caught on, and by the end of 2002, the Seattle division claimed about 5,000 members sharing 78 cars.
The company opened offices in Portland, Ore. and Washington, D.C before spreading to San Diego, San Francisco and L.A. When Peterson asked Woo, a former Los Angeles City Councilmember and mayoral candidate, to head up the L.A. branch, Woo jumped.
"It's not often that you have a chance to help launch an innovative business," said Woo, who had worked with Peterson at the LACTC. "Especially a business that addresses one of the top problems in L.A. -- traffic."
Woo said that initially, when the company sought to expand to Los Angeles, a city famous for its love of the automobile, many were skeptical. Unlike other, more compact metropolitan areas, L.A.'s sprawl often makes using public transportation difficult. Few commuters who can afford a car choose to do without one.
Marc Littman, an MTA spokesperson, said that while the MTA supports Flexcar, he is doubtful that the cars will prompt very many people to opt for public transit instead of driving. Littman said the majority of those who ride the city's buses and subways do so out of financial necessity.
Woo admits that business has been slow so far, with the first cars only being rented a couple times each day. He acknowledged that convincing Angelenos to abandon their own cars, even for the daily commute, is an uphill battle.
Flexcar's Downtown fleet is comprised of Honda Civics (Honda is also one of the company's major investors). Woo said plans are underway to bring in a batch of Civic hybrid cars, which run on a combination of gas and electricity and are touted as more eco-friendly.
Despite the company's environmental and urban planning bent, Woo recognizes that for many customers, the businesses' major selling points are its economic value and convenience. The average driver, said Woo, "is paying for the 24 hour cost of owning and operating a car when most people only use a car three hours a day." Flexcar, he says, "offers the freedom of driving without the hassle of owning a car."
Tom Olson, a Seattle resident who has been a Flexcar member for two years, said he is able to get where he needs to go without owning his own car. Olson had been taking the bus to work for years, using his car only for errands, until a friend wrecked it.
"I realized I really didn't need a car," said Olson, a teacher, who spends about $90 a month on Flexcar. "I was spending lots of money on parking garages and maintenance. I was only using the car four or five times a month."
Flexcar's success in Seattle has not convinced everyone that it will triumph in Los Angeles. The company, said Woo, has been accused of transplanting Seattle's environmentalist approach to L.A., which is often regarded as an SUV haven.
Still, that may change, as Gov. Gray Davis considers whether to raise the vehicle license fee on cars worth more than $5,000 to help shore up the state budget deficit.
Woo said his aim is to show Angelenos that car sharing fits their situation. "People do have to drive," observed Woo, "but they don't have to drive their own cars."
Roberto
User ID: 9161143 Feb 5th 5:57 AM
This is great ... I just hope that they haven't brought this to L.A. before the city is ready ... demand for this type of service is increasing, but we might still be a rail line or two short for demand to be huge.
I bet if Expo, Green Line to LAX, and the Eastside Line were all in place, business would be fairly strong at Flexcar.
And I wish reporters would stop making it sound like L.A. was born as an automobile haven ... it was not, it was a streetcar/rail capital. They tried to convert it in the 60's and 70's, but it killed our streetlife and drained our city of its soul. Thus L.A. fell into decay for the latter half of the 20th century.
Now that some rail lines are in place, FINALLY areas like Hollywood and Downtown are starting to come back to life. I find it no coincidence that all previous revitalization efforts failed until the trains were there to bring pedestrians back into those neighborhoods. I really think we are are only about 3 or 4 Metro Rail lines away from creating a vibrant L.A. that will no longer be put to shame by New York, Chicago, and San Francisco.
Roberto
User ID: 9161143 Feb 5th 6:00 AM
Could Michael Woo somehow be recruited to help out with transportation issues? He is well-known in L.A. and I'm sure if he spoke out, the local news stations would air it. Plus he has a business interest in promoting public transportation.
Cliffj
User ID: 0812164 Feb 6th 5:28 AM
bet if Expo, Green Line to LAX, and the Eastside Line were all in place, business would be fairly strong at Flexcar.
To borrow from another thread, THIS is the kind of advertising that's needed in Red Line stations!
I think I will consider using Flexcar when I travel up to LA via train from now on.
[Note: For more information about Flexcar, visit www.flexcar.com --bennyp81]