4 ms·

It's possible, but having access to Zipcar is quite essential for pretty much anything outside of the city limits - rail expansion was severely hampered by some

by tobobo 15y ago

It's possible, but having access to Zipcar is quite essential for pretty much anything outside of the city limits - rail expansion was severely hampered by some nearby suburbanites who were afraid that the worst of the city was going to take the train out to visit them, so you have to get in a car if you want to visit your classist neighbors.

llambda 15y ago
I suppose I could just Google this, but if you know off the top of your head, is ZipCar subject to the same age rules as normal car rentals? i.e. I think you have to be 26 or is it 24 before you can rent?
- rdouble 15y ago
  you have to be 21
whyenot 15y ago
It's not "essential" -- there is BART, Caltrain and a pretty extensive public transportation system in the greater bay area, but ZipCar could be a useful additional tool. As far as your history lesson on rail expansion. You have it completely backwards. The bay area had a very extensive rail system 60-70 years ago. One level of the bay bridge was just for trains. Google the Key System for more information. When cars increased in popularity, most of the train and tram system outside of San Francisco went bust, rail corridors were turned into expressways (a great example on the peninsula is Foothill Expressway that runs from Stanford University to Cupertino).
- rdouble 15y ago
  It's not totally essential but trips outside the city are 2-3x slower without a car. When you factor in wait times and switching trains/buses, you can spend half the day in transit to do a trip which only takes 40 minutes each way in a car. Also, many destinations in the surrounding area are suburban or semi-rural. You need the car when you get there, because where you actually want to go is not usually near the transit station. For example, it was theoretically possible for me to take public transport from SF to TechShop in Menlo Park, but it involved 2 hours of trains and a very limited bus service or 45 minute walk through an industrial park. Or, I could just drive there in 40 minutes.
- impendia 15y ago
  No, the parent is largely right, BART was going to go to more places but San Mateo and Marin were cool to the idea and backed out. http://www.bart.gov/about/history/index.aspx http://www.bart.gov/about/history/index.aspx

by tobobo 15y ago

llambda 15y ago

I suppose I could just Google this, but if you know off the top of your head, is ZipCar subject to the same age rules as normal car rentals? i.e. I think you have to be 26 or is it 24 before you can rent?

rdouble 15y ago
you have to be 21

whyenot 15y ago

It's not "essential" -- there is BART, Caltrain and a pretty extensive public transportation system in the greater bay area, but ZipCar could be a useful additional tool. As far as your history lesson on rail expansion. You have it completely backwards. The bay area had a very extensive rail system 60-70 years ago. One level of the bay bridge was just for trains. Google the Key System for more information. When cars increased in popularity, most of the train and tram system outside of San Francisco went bust, rail corridors were turned into expressways (a great example on the peninsula is Foothill Expressway that runs from Stanford University to Cupertino).

rdouble 15y ago
It's not totally essential but trips outside the city are 2-3x slower without a car. When you factor in wait times and switching trains/buses, you can spend half the day in transit to do a trip which only takes 40 minutes each way in a car. Also, many destinations in the surrounding area are suburban or semi-rural. You need the car when you get there, because where you actually want to go is not usually near the transit station. For example, it was theoretically possible for me to take public transport from SF to TechShop in Menlo Park, but it involved 2 hours of trains and a very limited bus service or 45 minute walk through an industrial park. Or, I could just drive there in 40 minutes.
impendia 15y ago
No, the parent is largely right, BART was going to go to more places but San Mateo and Marin were cool to the idea and backed out. http://www.bart.gov/about/history/index.aspx http://www.bart.gov/about/history/index.aspx