Zipcar is an American car-sharing company and subsidiary of Avis Budget Group. Zipcar provides car bookings for its members, can be billed per minute, hour or day; members may have to pay monthly or yearly membership fees in addition to car booking fees. Zipcar was founded in 2000 by Antje Danielson and Robin Chase.
On March 14, 2013, Avis Budget Group purchased Zipcar for approximately US $ 500 million in cash, making Zipcar its subsidiary. Scott Griffith, who had run the company for the past 10 years, resigned the day after the acquisition closed and handed the reins to new company president Mark Norman. In early 2014, Kaye Ceille took over as President of North America Zipcar. In the summer of 2016, Kaye Ceille became managing director of Avis Budget Group International.
In September 2016, Zipcar announced that it has 1 million members in 500 cities in 9 countries, and offers nearly 10,000 vehicles in the United States, Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Spain, Turkey and the UK, making it one of the network Leading car rental in the world.
Members can book vehicles with the Zipcar mobile app, online, or in some places by phone at any time, either immediately or up to a year in advance. Zipcar members have automatic access to the car using an access card that opens the door; the key is already inside. Alternatively, members can use the Android or iPhone Zipcar app to search for Zipcar by honking and unlocking the door. Zipcar charges a one-time registration fee, annual fee, and booking fee. Fuel, parking, insurance, and maintenance are included in the price.
In the third quarter of 2007, Zipcar joined Flexcar based in Seattle to create a national car rental company. The company's IPO in April 2011. Zipcar common stock traded on NASDAQ under ticker symbol "ZIP" until it was acquired by Avis in 2013.
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Histori
Zipcar was founded by Antje Danielson and Robin Chase based on the German and Swiss companies that existed in January 2000. In June 2000, the first Zipcars hit roads around Boston, Massachusetts. In January 2001, Antje was dismissed after Robin Chase petitioned the Zipcar council for his ability to make hiring and firing decisions without consulting them. In September 2001, the Washington office, D.C. opened, with a branch in New York City after February 2002. In February 2003, after difficulties in securing an additional round of funding, the Zipcar board replaced Robin Chase as CEO with Scott Griffith. In July 2005, Zipcar earned $ 10 million in funding led by Benchmark Capital. In August 2005, the San Francisco office opened. In May 2006, the Toronto office opened. In May 2006, Commercial Electricity Fleet Service General Electric (NYSE: GE) awarded Zipcar $ 20 million in lease financing. In September 2006, the Toronto market was named the fastest growing new market in the company's history. In November 2006, the London office opened. In April 2007, the Vancouver office opened. In October 2007, Zipcar and Flexcar executives announced the merger of the two companies, with the Zipcar brand and headquarters replacing Flexcar.
On January 23, 2008, the combined Zipcar/Flexcar service was canceled for the cities of Southern California Los Angeles and San Diego without giving advance notice to customers in these areas, although Southern California campus operations were left intact. On July 11, 2008, Zipcar announced it doubled its membership last year, including an acquired Flexcar member, and now has 225,000 members. On August 28, 2008, Rice University announced an introduction into the program in order to achieve the lowest possible carbon footprint while providing additional transportation options for carpool employees. In June 2009, the company announced the iPhone application at the Apple World Wide Developer Conference; this app is capable of honking and unlocking Zipcars.
Following impressive third quarter results, previous CEO Scott Griffith announced that 2012 will mark the first year of "full first year profit" based on US GAAP. "Scott Griffith resigns on March 15, 2013 after the acquisition of Avis Budget Group over Zipcar Mark Norman remains President until February 2014, when Avis Budget Group announced that Kaye Ceille was named president of Zipcar, and "Mark Norman will resign to pursue other career opportunities." In July 2016, Kay Ceille resigned as Zipcar president to become managing director of Avis Budget Group International, Australia On January 5, 2017, Zipcar announced that after a six month search they appointed Tracey Zhen as its new president Zhen came from TripAdvisor where he became vice president and general manager.
Membership
Members can view the availability of vehicles and order self-service cars via the internet, Android, and iPhone apps, or by phone, with a 30-minute increment. Members pay only the time they have. The Zipcar vehicles report their position to the control center using in-car technology. In the US, each booking gives members up to 180 miles (290 km) for a period of 24 hours and then.45 cents per mile beyond 180 miles (.55 cents per mile for premium vehicles and van cargo rental) will be charged in a 24 hour period. If the lease is more than 24 hours, the member is entitled to 180 miles (290 km) per 24 hours; then an additional 20 miles (32 km) per hour from the reservation period of up to 180 miles (290 km) is reached. If the 180 mile limit by hour is exceeded then.45 cents per mile will cost (.55 cents per mile for premium vehicles and van cargo rental). Canadian members receive up to 200 kilometers (120 million) with each reservation for the first 24 hours of 0.30 cents per kilometer (up to 0.45 cents per kilometer for premium vehicles and cargo rental) charged if the 200 km limit is exceeded. If the rent is more than 24 hours, then 200 kilometers (120 mi) is included per 24 hour period along with 15 kilometers (9.3 mi) per additional hour up to 200 kilometers (120 mi). If the 200 km limit by hour is exceeded, then 0.30 cents per kilometer (up to 0.45 cents per kilometer for premium vehicles and van cargo rental) will be charged. Individual members can sign up for one of two different plans, "Occasional Driving Plan" and "Extra Value Plans". While Zipcar rewards its reward program, the Penguin lease has the latest Zipcars rating among other rental car company awards programs.
Members are given an access card that contains a wireless chip that will open the booked vehicle only when they have ordered it. Bookings include vehicle insurance, gas card for car, replacement for fuel obtained at gas stations that do not accept the included gas card, and up to $ 15 in reimbursement for typical car care items such as car wash and refill window cleaning fluid. A member can order and use Zipcar in any Zipcar city.
Cost
Zipcar was sued in 2009 and again in 2011 by customers who were upset with Zipcar for allegedly charging customers with excessive or hidden costs. The lawsuit cites some hidden costs, including the cost of talking to a customer service representative even when a customer calls to report an issue that can not be handled via the website or automated telephone system, an additional charge above the cost of a parking ticket even if the ticket is canceled in court, delays start at $ 50, fees for pick up items left in the car, and inactive charges. According to the complaint, many customers may not even notice the bill because Zipcar does not send monthly reports. The lawsuit was dismissed in 2010, after US District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton found that any penalty except for inactive user fees was legal. In August 2016, Zipcar agreed to settle a case involving allegations of levying the cost of illegal damage to New York consumers for rental vehicles. According to New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman, New York state law mandates that car rental companies intend to pursue the cost of damaging their vehicles, they must give consumers a chance to dispute complaints. Schneiderman's office accused Zipcar of failing to follow this requirement. The company sometimes allegedly charged consumer damages before informing them of the charges. As a settlement, Zipcar will refund any cost of any damage assessed against a consumer who dispute their liability for the damage. In addition, the company will pay the Attorney General's Office $ 35,000 for fees and fees. In addition, Zipcar is prohibited to charge customers for damages unless the customer agrees that they are responsible or the company obtains a legal decision - for example, from the court - that the driver is responsible. In May 2017, Zipcar holds the F ranking with the Better Business Bureau.
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Universities, organizations and business partnerships
Zipcar launched the Zipcar for Business program in early 2004 to provide companies with discounts on Monday-Friday driving. Since the launch of the program, Zipcar has signed 10,000 small, medium and large businesses, as the company is increasingly adopting the Zipcar car rental model on demand as an alternative to cost savings for employee travel. Zipcar has partnered with over 300 colleges and universities throughout North America.
Zipcar fleet
Zipcar offers more than 50 brands and models of vehicles, including Audi, BMW, Mini Coopers, pickup trucks, Prius Hybrid, and more. Each vehicle has a home location: a backup parking spot located on the street, entrance, or neighborhood car park in the member area, which must be returned at the end of the reservation. The location of all Zipcars and models available in those locations is available on the Zipcar site. Zipcar currently has a fleet of nearly 10,000 vehicles.
Embedded technology
Zipcars has an RFID reader located on the windscreen that communicates with the card to lock and unlock the vehicle door. Each vehicle records hours of use and mileage, which are uploaded to a central computer via a wireless data connection. The location of the vehicle was not tracked during the reservation due to privacy reasons but was trackable, and all cars were equipped with a "kill" function which allowed the company to prevent the car from starting in the event of theft. Zipcar also offers embedded Information Technology that has been installed in its fleet as a fleet optimization service through its FastFleet service.
Clean fuel vehicles
Among the fleets of fuel-efficient vehicles, and through an agreement between Honda and Zipcar, the program offers clean fuels and low-emission vehicles that include Insight hybrid, Civic Hybrid, and Honda Fit EV all-electric cars.
Expansion
On 31 October 2007, Zipcar and Flexcar announced their intention to join. The combined company retains the name "Zipcar" and is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Chief Executive Zipcar, former Seattle-based Boeing engineer Scott Griffith, became Chairman and CO, while Flexcar CEO Mark Norman became President and Chief Operating Officer. The merger incorporates a Zipcar fleet of 3,500 vehicles in 35 markets with 1,500 cars in 15 markets.
In December 2009, Zipcar announced their participation in the financing round with Avancar, Barcelona's largest on-demand car rental company, based in Barcelona. Under the terms of the agreement, Zipcar acquires a minority in Avancar, a Zipcar executive joins the board of Avancar and Zipcar is given a year's option to increase its shareholding. Then in April 2010, Zipcar announced that it had acquired a car-based Streetcar club in London. In December 2010, Zipcar extended their options for another year until the end of 2011, and provided loans to Avancar, which could be converted into equity if Zipcar chose to use the option. On October 17, 2012, Zipcar announced the completion of its Avancar integration.
By 2014, Zipcar is extended to the Houston and Dallas TX areas. The addition of these new cities marks the availability of Zipcar in 28 major metropolitan markets throughout the United States, Canada, Britain, Spain and Austria.
In 2014, Zipcar expanded its coverage in Greater Toronto and Hamilton, Ontario in Canada, in partnership with Metrolinx. Zipcar was also launched in Paris, France and Madrid, Spain in 2014.
In 2015, Zipcar expanded to Ottawa and Istanbul.
In 2016, Zipcar announces the complete launch of floating car sharing services in Brussels, Belgium. This launch marks the seventh largest country for brands in Europe and the introduction of the most flexible car sharing service to date.
On August 6, 2017, Zipcar service closed in Austria.
Insurance
Zipcar provides liability coverage for $ 100,000 bodily injury per person, $ 300,000 maximum body injury, and $ 25,000 property damage per accident for members over 21 years who join after March 1, 2015. Guilty members are responsible for the first $ 1,000 fee associated with repair, recovery and loss of Zipcar vehicle usage. However, members may purchase insurance without liability at an additional $ 79 per year. Members involved in accidents where errors are not specified (as in hit-and-run) must pay the first $ 1,000 of this fee. For members under 21, Zipcar provides insurance coverage at the state-mandated level.
Zipcar has received several checks due to low coverage limits.
Insurance coverage may vary depending on the area of ​​use. For example, a Canadian member in Toronto, Ontario, is provided with a $ 1,000,000 liability coverage. Vancouver, BC members are provided with a coverage of $ 2,000,000. Both areas of Canada also include comprehensive coverage and collisions in addition to liability insurance. Zipcars who traveled to Canada from the U.S. ask members to get a special insurance card from Zipcar. Canadian Zipcars who travel to the US do not need an additional insurance card.
Similar to members of Zipcar U.S., Zipcar members of London, England, require a special 'rental on a lease' certificate when traveling abroad, which can be obtained from Zipcar.
See also
- Economic access
- Plug-in hybrid in California
- RelayRides
References
External links
- Official website
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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