“In my country there is problem, and that problem is transport.”
Leaving aside one’s opinions about the grand provocateur known as Borat, one finds these words unmistakably true. With an average occupancy of 1.3 people per vehicle in America, transportation is an issue of increasing personal, political, and ecological importance in our society. How we move in and among town and country, exurb and suburb affects our happiness, our checkbooks, and our environment.
Context: Zipcar is one of the most visible and successful transportation initiatives to target all three. Zeroing in on the city dweller’s appetite for occasional car access rather than full-time ownership, Zipcar has become the first company to extend the principle of sharing among consumers to the transportation market while still appealing to Americans’ enduring taste for cruising behind the wheel. With more than 350,000 members and a fleet of 6,000 vehicles in the U.S. and London, Zipcar is changing the landscape of urban transportation.
Even with the all the conveniences Zipcar affords the occasional urban driver, any member could tell you the access it provides is not without limits. Boston startup RelayRides* is trying to improve on access and convenience by shifting the paradigm from sharing to neighboring. Car owners post their vehicles’ available time slots, and nearby members sign up to go for a spin. While RelayRides takes a cut, owners can earn fast cash while they sit at the office, take a vacation, or even sleep. Essentially, RelayRides creates a sellers’ market for automobile access.
Citation: Andrew Magliozzi and Nathaniel Levy