3 ms·

It's hard to get be too sympathetic to this list of gripes? - you have to put gas in a car. That's hardly much of an inconvenience. - they are dirty? Its a sh

by hnriot 14y ago

It's hard to get be too sympathetic to this list of gripes? - you have to put gas in a car. That's hardly much of an inconvenience. - they are dirty? Its a sharing system, what do you expect? People are slobs mostly, and when there's no incentive to keep something tidy they don't. public transport is no different. Booking 3 days in advance doesn't seem like such a big deal either. I don't see the point of zipcar to start with. Just rent a car for the day or use public transport. if you live in an area where those two don't apply, buy a car. fortunately zipcar has been assimilated into the larger car rental picture now which should improve things.

elteto 14y ago
A modicum of quality is to be expected of any paid service, even if is a sharing system. Also people may be slobs, but not me, it is not my problem nor responsibility to deal with that.
- hnriot 14y ago
  see 'sharing' in the dictionary.
alexkus 14y ago
> I don't see the point of zipcar to start with. Just rent a car for the day or use public transport. if you live in an area where those two don't apply, buy a car. We can do 95% of stuff with existing public transport (since it is very good in London and the UK). Buying a car to cover the remaining 5% is overkill and would cost way more than to use a Zipcar. The annual upfront costs for maintaining a car (VED, insurance, MOT, parking) are going to be more than our average yearly spend on Zipcar, and this doesn't even take into account the initial car purchase or leasing/depreciation. 24 hour rentals to go see nearby family (not served well by public transport) are probably slightly more expensive with Zipcar than a traditional rental company but way more convenient to walk 200 yards to the Zipcar than miles to the nearest rental car depot; especially with a 3 year old (and a car seat) in tow. It's very useful to be able to rent a Zipcar for 2 hours for £12 to go take a bunch of stuff to the dump, nip into the supermarket and stock up on heavy/bulky items then go to the local DIY store and get a bunch of stuff that can't be easily carried on public transport. Sure, DIY shops will deliver, for a price. Supermarket delivery can be free but the free delivery slots don't always work out time-wise. People can come and collect the stuff that would go to the dump, but it costs. So, you may have no need for Zipcar, but it does work for plenty of people.
seanconaty 14y ago
Buses and planes and trains and sidewalks are dirty too.

by hnriot 14y ago

elteto 14y ago

A modicum of quality is to be expected of any paid service, even if is a sharing system. Also people may be slobs, but not me, it is not my problem nor responsibility to deal with that.

hnriot 14y ago
see 'sharing' in the dictionary.

alexkus 14y ago

> I don't see the point of zipcar to start with. Just rent a car for the day or use public transport. if you live in an area where those two don't apply, buy a car. We can do 95% of stuff with existing public transport (since it is very good in London and the UK). Buying a car to cover the remaining 5% is overkill and would cost way more than to use a Zipcar. The annual upfront costs for maintaining a car (VED, insurance, MOT, parking) are going to be more than our average yearly spend on Zipcar, and this doesn't even take into account the initial car purchase or leasing/depreciation. 24 hour rentals to go see nearby family (not served well by public transport) are probably slightly more expensive with Zipcar than a traditional rental company but way more convenient to walk 200 yards to the Zipcar than miles to the nearest rental car depot; especially with a 3 year old (and a car seat) in tow. It's very useful to be able to rent a Zipcar for 2 hours for £12 to go take a bunch of stuff to the dump, nip into the supermarket and stock up on heavy/bulky items then go to the local DIY store and get a bunch of stuff that can't be easily carried on public transport. Sure, DIY shops will deliver, for a price. Supermarket delivery can be free but the free delivery slots don't always work out time-wise. People can come and collect the stuff that would go to the dump, but it costs. So, you may have no need for Zipcar, but it does work for plenty of people.

seanconaty 14y ago

Buses and planes and trains and sidewalks are dirty too.