New Car Share Option for the District

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.

Will car2go Make Me Drive More?

OK, so car2go can't make me do anything. But, will I end up driving more out of convenience since I've become a member? The short answer is probably not.

Since registering for car2go and receiving my keycard about a month ago, I have rented a car 4 times. I took one round trip and two one-way trips. The cost totals were $16.72 ($8.36 + $8.36), $7.22 and $7.60. The trips lasted between 19 and 22 minutes each. That's nearly $32 in just four weeks. Is that more than I would have spent on taxi cabs during the same period? Maybe. Unlike dealing with taxis though, I was able to reserve and access a car instantly, could not be passed up because a taxi was occupied --or for whatever other reason-- and was able to take the routes I knew to be the fastest and most efficient.

I compared the exact routes under normal traffic conditions using the Washington Post's taxi fare calculator. These estimates are under the new formula and rate structure for taximeters. The $7.22 car2go trip would have been $8.50 by taxi. The $16.72 round trip (really just two one way rentals) would have been $23.70. And the $7.60 trip would have been $11.25 by taxi. car2go total: $31.54. Estimated taxi total: $43.45. And that's without tip.

Two disclaimers: One, I rarely take cabs for trips like these. I almost always plan for and use public transportation or biking. And two, although I had the good fortune of finding car2go cars within two blocks my origin address, they aren't always available within such proximity. (There's an "unofficial/official" phone app which displays nearby cars and can also hold a car momentarily while you walk to unlock it. You can also just walk up to a car and swipe your card without "reserving.") 

I consider car2go as an emergency back up to public transit that's not a cab. I have issues with taxi service in DC (another post, another time) and really try not to take a cab unless absolutely necessary. For example, when the H bus I needed pulled a no-show leaving me at risk of being late for a dinner in Glover Park, car2go came in handy. That car2go trip ($7.60) was spontaneous and I was able to catch the regularly scheduled buses for the return trip home. Could I have tried to flag down a taxi? Sure, but idly waiting for an empty taxi to pass though Mount Pleasant isn't always the best idea for a person late to a social engagement. I found a car2go car about a block and a half from the bus stop: problem solved.

Will I continue taking these trips for convenience sake? I'd like to think not. In a perfect world I like to minimize my dependence on cars and continue planning to take transit/bikes/walking to 99% of the places I regularly visit. Don't want to sweat in you suit on the way to a meeting? Next bus comes in 40 minutes? Procrastinated and late for that party? Those are all tough calls. Sure, I could hop in a car2go and remedy some of those issues. But in reality, I'd like to keep that option as a back up and save those $$$ for emergencies, social or otherwise.

What Will New car2go Service Look Like?

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car2go's Smart Fortwo car (source Flickr: swirlspice)

Soon, District residents will have an additional choice when it comes to car sharing services in the city. car2go is owned by German car maker Daimler. It is similar to Boston-based Zipcar, but operates drastically different in some important ways. I contacted car2go for an operational start date and learned that there isn't one at this time. Otherwise, here's a quick look at what to expect.

Operation: car2go operates on a membership model like Zipcar. If you want to rent a car, you must be a registered member and have a special keycard and PIN for access. Registration is $35. The big difference is that with car2go, you can make one way trips. That is, you can retrieve a car at one location and leave it at the next; rental over. No need to return to a specific parking space.

For example, I could walk to a car on Mt Pleasant Street, drive to the Uptown in Cleveland Park, catch a move and ride the H4 bus back home. I can theoretically park anywhere (legal) in Cleveland Park and just leave the car there for the next renter. car2go takes care of the parking, cleaning and most importantly, refueling. Of course, you can refuel during your rental using car2go's gas cards located inside the car; much like Zipcar.

You can reserve online ahead of time or just find a car via car2go website and access it for instant use; "on demand" as they call it.

Cost: The cost structure is just as simple as Zipcar's hourly rate. However, car2go charges by the minute; 35 cents per minute plus tax. So, that 11 minutes it might take to drive to and find a parking spot in front of the Uptown would come to $3.85 plus tax. They capped the cost per hour at $12.99 and the cost for 24 consecutive hours at $65.99.  Zipcar's rates vary depending on the model of car and time of day, but most of my rentals are in the $8-$10 per hour range. Like Zipcar, car2go also charges more for long trips; any trip over 150 miles triggers a higher per hour rate.

Also, there seems to be no annual fee (just a one time registration fee). That is great. For someone who uses car share less than once per month, I could get into not paying a membership fee every year.

Location: Last year car2go bid on and won many on street parking spaces that previously belonged to Zipcar. So, there will be some dedicated parking spots for the cars. Mount Pleasant has one at 3010 Mt Pleasant St NW (next to Embassy condos). Here are the other car2go dedicated parking spaces (PDF). 

The "operation area" is where you are allowed to park a car after your rental period has concluded. This area includes most of the District (map here), with a few restricted areas on federal properties. For example, I could rent a car in Chinatown and drive to National airport to pick up a friend, but I couldn't end my rental there; I'd have to stay on the clock, return to District and park in a legal space, where the rental would end. The "stopover" function will let you park the car, but continue your rental, blocking others from renting it while you are away.

As for metered and zone parking, their website indicates that you can park in any "non- restricted Metered curbside parking space or Residential Parking Permit location in any zone throughout the operating area." That is, you do not have to have a particular zone sticker or pay the meter. Sweet. You can not park in any time restricted spots like rush hour restricted parking zones, or loading zones. Also, no parking on snow emergency routes (like 16th St near Mount Pleasant) or street sweeping streets on the day of sweeping.

Since cars are liable to be left at non-designated spots though, there has to be a way to find the closest car to your location when you need it. car2go has an online car finder map (empty now because the service isn't active) and car finder applications for Android devices and iPhone/iPad devices.

Cars: Here's where Zipcar and car2go really differ. Zipcar has all manor of cars, from Civics to pick-ups to Volvos and BMW's. car2go has the Smart car. That's it. These are the tiny "microcars" you may have seen around town in recent years. They seem to be popular in parking challenged DC. This is the "Fortwo" model. It is small, seats two people and has limited storage in the hatchback. At less than 9 feet in length, you'll find more parking spaces, but boy, is this thing small. I've never driven one, but it looks utilitarian. No moving apartments with this thing though; strictly groceries and small packages.

This service is has enough differences with Zipcar that I can see both surviving. There may even be a number of residents who choose to join both companies as members. As for getting more people into cars and putting more cars on the road; I'm not for that. But, the beauty of these services is that they allow for a car-ownership-free lifestyle with shared access to a vehicle when the need arises. Looking forward to the launch and DC's reaction.