Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Zipping Around the Outer Cape in “Mcquerry”

Our Green Room guests this weekend arrived in a zipcar named Mcquerry. (Did you know each zipcar has its own name?) Mcquerry is a Mazda 3 and “lives” at the Museum of Fine Arts. I have seen zipcars in Boston, but no one has ever used one to reach our B&B before. When I asked the guests why they made this choice, Debra explained she’s from Kansas and finds driving in Boston a challenge, so she became a zipcar member. Apparently, the company has stellar customer service and operates out of over a dozen cities.

Her friend Noam quickly pointed out, “It turned out to be cheaper because it includes gas and insurance.”

“There’s a jack for your iPod, with every car,” added Deborah. “You open the door with a card, get gas with a card ….”

“There are coupons online, so you don’t have to pay to join, or can get $25 or $50 off …”

Whoa! Information overload! Still, I was glad I had asked the question because their enthusiasm indicated this company is obviously doing something right. Hybrids are also available but in more limited supply of late due to the Toyota recall.

Guests from abroad often complain about being given an “upgrade” to a large gas-guzzling vehicle at Logan when they would have preferred a hybrid. Although zipcar has no pick-up at the airport, I decided this type of rental would make perfect sense for anyone traveling out to Cape Cod for a few days and first visiting Boston, where public transportation is readily available. I intend to recommend zipcar in the future.

Have you ever used zipcar? Were you pleased with the experience?
Posted by Alexandra Grabbe at 6:30 AM

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Kerri · 776 weeks ago

Hadn't heard of these until today!
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amy · 776 weeks ago

My daughter and son-in-law just joined. They live in Brooklyn, where keeping a car is costly and generally unnecessary. They use public transportation or taxis most of the time. They decided that they do sometimes need a car (like to visit us on the Cape!), so just joined zipcar. They have only used it once so far, but seem happy. I have known other city dwellers in NY and Boston who have used it for years and swear by it.
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Alisa · 776 weeks ago

So it's a rental car company? And the cars are energy efficient? I'm very intrigued.
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chezsven 82p · 776 weeks ago

I don't know if they define themselves as a rental car agency, Alisa. They do have energy efficient cars, as I understand it, and hybrids. The idea, as I understand it, is you book a car and pick it up locally, near where you live in the city. You say when you will bring it back so someone else in your neighborhood can use it. I don't know all the details, but if you click through to the Web site, I'm sure you will find more information that you necessarily wanted. I know you have to join, like joining a club .... but as our guest said, you can find online coupons that pick up that initial cost.
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Sue Dickman · 776 weeks ago

Zipcars are now available at both Amherst and Smith colleges, parked centrally both places. It's a great solution for students who don't have cars but need one for an afternoon or a day. (They're also available to local folks.) I wish they'd been around when I was a student.
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ed pilolla · 776 weeks ago

you have a really nice, easy going way to tell a story. i mean, you're writing about local stuff mostly, but you broaden it here and elsewhere to appeal to everyone. i know a lot of bloggers attempt to broaden their own internal musings (such as me), but what you're doing is more challenging. and you succeed. really enjoying following along since we met:)
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Jackie Dishner · 776 weeks ago

I should look into these here where I live. I like how you share what you learn from your guests.
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anjuli · 775 weeks ago

My son has told me about zipcar and I've seen people using it- but I have not used one myself ...yet.
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Natalie · 775 weeks ago

Zipcar has been around for about 10 years. ... they're based out of Cambridge, MA. They're essentially a car rental company that has shifted the industry's paradigm: 1) they've simplified the renting process by doing away with the requirement to plan ahead, to interface with a human being and to stand in line or go to a rental office; 2) the cars are avavailable ubiquitously, so renting a car is something you think to do to run a simple errand, and not just when you go on vacation. You pay an annual membership fee (nominal - like $50), and then you can reserve a car near you online (there are zipcar parking lots everywhere - they get a few reserved spots in lots across the city). Once you reserve the car, it will unlock automatically when you present your 'membership card' to its door. The daily cost is actually more than what you might get at a traditional rental company (depending on whether you'd buy insurance or not), but the process has been significantly improved/streamlined. It's great for city dwellers who only need a car once/week or less frequently.
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skmcdonough 8p · 775 weeks ago

I have used Zipcars in Brooklyn and Boston. I have even driven them from Boston to Montreal and back. Definitely easier and cheaper than regular rentals for weekend trips, great for going to the grocery store or IKEA when you live in the city and don't want to own a car. Members can now also rent Zipcars in Europe (London and Barcelona at the moment). :)
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Anna · 768 weeks ago

Zipcar is the best Invention since sliced bread! In my opinion it is absolutely unnecessary to own a car in a city like New York, where I live, or even one that can be navigated largely on foot or via the "T" as in Boston. Zipcar is a fantastic solution for those of us who have the good luck to live in a city with plentiful public transportation options but who occasionally wish to visit a place like Stone Barns in Westchester, just out of reach of Metro North. I have also used Zipcar on vacation, both in Boston to venture north to Gloucester, and in San Francisco to visit both Point Reyes and Big Sur, in a Mini Cooper no less! The best part about Zipcar is the mindset of its members. Being a car sharing service, it unites city dwellers in a common purpose in respecting the environment as well as our fellow "Zippers" - i.e. Leave the car as clean as you found it and never return it empty of gas! I hope Zipcar would be the wave of the future if we humans have any sense...
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chezsven 82p · 768 weeks ago

I agree with you, Anna. Our guest over the past week drove up from New York in a Zipcar.

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