U-PASS Profiles
Flexcar: Profile
(originally published in the Fall 2001 U-Commute News)
Emily Allen, Research Coordinator, Department of Environmental Health, School of Public Health & Community Medicine
Walking, taking the bus, sharing a ride, or riding a bike can get us many of the places we need to go, but some car-oriented destinations may be out of reach without a personal automobile. Flexcar, a private, membership-based car-sharing program in Seattle, fills a niche by providing convenient access to a car for those occasions when using other modes of transportation isn't feasible.
Emily Allen has been a member since Flexcar's launch in January 2000. After about eight months of trying Flexcar she discovered Flexcar could completely replace her own car. As a result of the experiment, Emily sold her car--and hasn't missed it since. "Flexcar frees you from all the chores and hassles of owning a car, and still gives you the convenience of access to a car," she states.
When she needs a car, Emily now uses the Flexcar exclusively, complemented by biking to work, and walking, carpooling, or busing to other destinations. She says that car sharing has the added benefit of making her do errands more efficiently. "When I use Flexcar, I usually link several trips together. I tend to make more efficient use of my time."
She uses the Flexcar approximately five times a month, over a period of about four hours per use, driving an average of approximately 100 miles a month. Depending on how much she uses the car, her monthly expense is approximately $100, which includes all the costs of insurance, maintenance, cleaning, gas, and garage or on-street storage.
In Capitol Hill, where Emily lives, there are sixteen Flexcars located throughout the neighborhood. There are also cars located in Ballard, Bellevue, Belltown, Central District, Lake Union, Eastlake, Fremont, International District, Pioneer Square, Queen Anne and the U District. Members make reservations using a touch-tone phone system, and they can enter any of cars using their door key and a security code to access the ignition key. The UW partnered with Flexcar in 2000 and now provides ten vehicles on and near the UW campus and a membership application fee of only $5 for U-PASS holders.
Working at the UW, Emily has the freedom of using Flexcars located in the U District for appointments or errands during or after her workday. From 11pm to 7am Flexcar hours are virtually free, which provides Emily the flexibility to use a Flexcar for after-work errands, take the car home, and bring it back the next day for a minimal usage cost.
Like most of Flexcar's 2,500 members, Emily feels the best part of car sharing is the convenience having a car available without all of the hassles. As Emily puts it, "Owning a car was playing 'repair roulette.' With Flexcar the cost is predictable, and much less than owning a car." Members can take advantage of Seattle's fifty Flexcar vehicles, including over forty 2000-2002 Honda Civics and three Ford pickup trucks, as well as the thirty cars in the Portland car sharing program. Several hybrid gas/electric cars will join the fleet in the near future. Additionally, Flexcar has partnered with Enterprise and Dollar to provide 15 percent off rentals suited for weekend excursions.
Complemented with the U-PASS, the Flexcar provides people more transportation choices by filling a niche and alleviating the need for members to own a second car-or any car at all. Flexcar members also can take advantage of the trucks available in the Flexcar fleet, and avoid having to own a larger vehicle for occasional hauling needs.
For more information about joining Flexcar, call 206.323.FLEX (3539) or see Flexcar's website at: www.flexcar.com
Emily's Flexcar TIPS
- Consider the true cost of owning a car: purchase price, insurance, maintenance, repair, and your time and attention to it - not just the incremental cost of gasoline.
- Keep an open mind, and inform yourself about all your transportation choices.
- When you join car-sharing, follow the State Park mentality- "Leave it the way you found it."
