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| Enterprise Car Share on-street spots near 5th and F Streets NW |
Enterprise has entered the DC car share market, with new on-street spaces and competitive pricing. I was approached by two Enterprise Car Share street-team employees last week and given a flier advertising free membership to their new service. So, they're trying to get the word out. I've also seen their cars on the streets already.
At first glance, it appears to work like Zipcar: reserve a car online, unlock it with an RFID membership card and drive away. At the end of the reservation, return the car to the original location. Enterprise promises weekday rates of only $5/hour on most cars, which would beat the Zipcar lowest daytime hourly rate by, at the least, $3 (although Zipcar's overnight rates can go as low as $4/hour). Car2Go charges by the minute and caps an hour rental at $13.99. Hertz 24/7 rates vary per location and car type, but the lowest I've seen is $8.25/hour.
Too many car sharing services? Who knows. I think this "sharing" part of the economy (recognizing that it still has to turn a profit for the owners) is here to stay. So, even if four different companies don't make it in DC, this idea of car share is still going strong in the United States.
