4 ms·

Any guesses whether this means subsidized rentals, in accordance with their winner-take-all model, to price-out competitors like Zipcar? On a related note, doe

Any guesses whether this means subsidized rentals, in accordance with their winner-take-all model, to price-out competitors like Zipcar? On a related note, does anyone know about Zipcar’s business model? Are they focused on unit economics / profitability instead of growth? I’ve been using it ever since they marketed on our college campus with student discounts 5 years ago, but there hasn’t been much updates to the web UI. Maybe this is for the better.

ghaff 9y ago
Avis bought them and they've been much lower profile as a "hot hip company" since then. In retrospect, they were a fairly niche play and Uber/Lyft seems to have taken what wind there was in their sales largely out. Based on pricing that people have told me, it doesn't seem to be discounting for growth.
- alephnan 9y ago
  That’s interesting because for my use-cases, ridesharing and on-demand car rentals are substitutable goods. Ever since I moved to SF where ridesharing is noticeably more cost effective, I’ve shifted my more towards ride sharing. If prices on car rentals goes down with this Uber deal, I see myself shifting back in the other direction.
  - mattnewton 9y ago
    It’s not so much in a city: ridesharing is a superset of usecasses for me that eventually led me to cancel my zipcar, since they only served the road trip case that a proper car rental does just as well. Having to walk to the car and return it in the same place is a huge hassle, and then having to drive the thing and gas it up puts it much closer to competing with rentals to me.
    - alephnan 9y ago
      One use case where I default to Zipcar is picking up furniture / big items. Also, I like hiking in Muir Woods but there is no cellphone signal there. You can book a trip to, but not a trip from. Another one is when I want some privacy.

4 ms·

Any guesses whether this means subsidized rentals, in accordance with their winner-take-all model, to price-out competitors like Zipcar? On a related note, doe

by alephnan 9y ago

ghaff 9y ago
Avis bought them and they've been much lower profile as a "hot hip company" since then. In retrospect, they were a fairly niche play and Uber/Lyft seems to have taken what wind there was in their sales largely out. Based on pricing that people have told me, it doesn't seem to be discounting for growth.
- alephnan 9y ago
  That’s interesting because for my use-cases, ridesharing and on-demand car rentals are substitutable goods. Ever since I moved to SF where ridesharing is noticeably more cost effective, I’ve shifted my more towards ride sharing. If prices on car rentals goes down with this Uber deal, I see myself shifting back in the other direction.
  - mattnewton 9y ago
    It’s not so much in a city: ridesharing is a superset of usecasses for me that eventually led me to cancel my zipcar, since they only served the road trip case that a proper car rental does just as well. Having to walk to the car and return it in the same place is a huge hassle, and then having to drive the thing and gas it up puts it much closer to competing with rentals to me.
    - alephnan 9y ago
      One use case where I default to Zipcar is picking up furniture / big items. Also, I like hiking in Muir Woods but there is no cellphone signal there. You can book a trip to, but not a trip from. Another one is when I want some privacy.