Carshare Alexandria!
What is Carsharing?
In most cases, people do not want a car, but the service one provides. Carsharing allows people to use a car when needed, without the costs and inconveniences of car ownership. Simply defined, carsharing is sharing the use of a private vehicle with one's community. Carsharing is similar to car rental with the main differences being that an individual can use the carsharing vehicle for as little as one hour and the cars are located in the communities rather than at a central car rental location.
Carsharing began in Switzerland in the 1980's and expanded throughout Europe to include 450 cities. The concept has taken hold in the United States in areas such as Seattle, Chicago, Portland, Boston, D.C., and others. Generally, for-profit or non-profit organizations maintain the carsharing fleet and reservations website.
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Carshare Alexandria!
It's for you! Zipcar is currently the carshare agency providing service in the City of Alexandria and throughout the region. Keep in mind that Zipcar is an international agency and you can use your membership in other locations. With carsharing, individuals sign up to become members by completing an application and paying necessary fees. Members reserve vehicles online or by phone. Because Zipcar usage fees include fuel and insurance, members pay only for the time they use the vehicle.
Businesses also benefit from carsharing. Participating in carsharing allows companies to offer a fleet of vehicles to staff for business use without having to maintain and pay for a costly company fleet or reimburse for taxi expenses. Employees can use an alternative means of getting to work and have a vehicle for meetings when needed.
Zipcar vehicle locations in Alexandria
"I've enjoyed the proximity of cars to my home and avoiding the hassles of car ownership."
- Melissa C., resident, March '08 "The carshare program made my stay in town more pleasant and enabled me to take advantage of surrounding businesses which were accessible by car only (e.g., malls, supermarkets) much more than I would have if I had not vehicular transport available."
- Benjamin M., previous resident, March '08
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Through the Carshare Alexandria! program, the City of Alexandria provides a monetary incentive to residents and businesses to encourage use of carsharing services in the City. The City will reimburse residents and businesses for first-time memberships according to the following:
Resident personal account - application and annual membership fees
To request reimbursement, please provide the following:
Business corporate account - up to $50.00 for company membership fees and half of each employee's membership fee
To request reimbursement, please provide the following:
Please send documentation to:
City of Alexandria - Office of Transit Services and Programs
301 King Street, Room 1200
Alexandria, VA 22314
- or -
fax to 703.739.9415
To help us measure the success of carsharing and plan for future needs, those seeking reimbursement through Carshare Alexandria! are required to complete a follow-up survey approximately nine months from the time of reimbursement.
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Benefits of Carsharing
- Increases use of more efficient and environmentally friendly mode of travel - bicycling, walking, public transportation, carpooling/vanpooling
- Reduces personal vehicle usage up to fifty percent.
- Encourages trip chaining.
- Enables households to give up owning second and third vehicles.
- Each carsharing vehicle replaces four to eight privately owned cars.
- Decreases vehicle ownership.
- Reduces parking demand.
- Lessens traffic congestion.
- Improves air quality.
- Less costly than owning and operating a personal vehicle.
For more information on carsharing, see Transportation Research Board's Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) Report 108: Car-Sharing--Where and How It Succeeds (Warning: This file is large--10.4 MB--and may take up to 15 minutes to download using a high-speed connection.)
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