gavinshearer.com

« Retro A-Go-Go | Main | Ring, Ring, Ring... »

October 30, 2004

The Joy of Flex

Last Christmas, I sold my Jetta.

Well, it's not exactly as it sounds. A very nice woman slammed into the thing at 4 AM on a particularly icy Monday morning while it was parked in front of my house. No one was hurt, but my poor VW was completely totaled. Her insurance company was helpful, professional, and cut me a check without any fuss.

Rather than run out and get a new car, I took the opportunity to try the Urban Lifestyle thing. Seattle is an incredibly walkable city, and Metro - especially near my house - just rocks. Between those two modes of transportation, I was able to get to and from school (as well as other appointments) pretty easily.

Once in a while, however, I need a vehicle. Sometimes I have a gig on the Eastside, other times it's a trip to Costco (or running around to get the keg for a TG).

Enter Flexcar.

Flexcar is a car-sharing service. The company has a presence in 16 metro areas around the country. The value proposition is simple: rent a car by the hour for a single, published rate. Rental is a complete cost - gas and insurance are included. You pick the car up from a (reserved) space near you, and return it to that same space when you're done with it.

I've been a Flexcar member for better than six months, now, and I just love it. I love how simple it is to get a car (scheduling is all done through the Web). I love that the thing is so well-thought-out (the member manual is a model of simplicity, but is surprisingly informative). I love that there are bonuses for doing good things (free credit on your account, for instance, if you wash the car or gas it up) and penalties for doing evil things (leaving the car with less than a quarter tank of gas when you're done with it). It makes for a very self-regulating system.

What prompted this particular love letter is my experience yesterday, running all over Seattle to prepare for our TG at the business school. I strolled a few blocks from my place, picked up the car, and was able to get everything done in just a few quick hours. When I'd finished my errands I parked the Flexcar back at 24th and Madison, locked the key in the car, and just ... walked away. It's this perfect, no-leave-behind service. I couldn't be happier.

It's also an intriguing model for cities as urban density increases. Barring a recall effort on Tuesday, Seattle is building a monorail from Ballard to West Seattle. We're also constructing light rail from downtown to the airport (almost). Our city is growing, and we need to give people ways of living here WITHOUT owning a car. Flexcar is one of those cool "fill in the gap" services that makes the difference between people being car-free or keeping a vehicle around "just in case."

I don't expect that everyone is going to run out and get rid of their cars tomorrow, but it's nice to have the option. I've been surprised how much money I've saved on gas, insurance, repairs - not to mention depreciation. If you're ever interested in parking your rig and trying to do without, Seattle has a pilot program, called "Way To Go, Seattle" that's worth investigating.

Posted by Gavin Shearer at October 30, 2004 4:49 PM. Posted to Cool.

Comments

Post a comment

« Retro A-Go-Go | Main | Ring, Ring, Ring... »