Zipcar launches Zipvan pilot

Zipcar, the leading car sharing network, has announced a pilot in San Francisco that includes full size cargo vans through a new offering called Zipvan. The vans will allow consumers to transport items too bulky for cars or pickup trucks, and give small businesses a new and more affordable option for transporting goods.
March 26, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
3874 Zipcar, the leading car sharing network, has announced a pilot in San Francisco that includes full size cargo vans through a new offering called 4345 Zipvan. The vans will allow consumers to transport items too bulky for cars or pickup trucks, and give small businesses a new and more affordable option for transporting goods. This pilot programme is in response to the performance of the van service currently being offered by Zipcar's UK operations and a Zipcar member survey indicating that nearly 40 per cent of members surveyed would be likely to use Zipvan if available.

By early next month, a total of 15 Ford E-150 cargo vans vehicles will be located throughout San Francisco and Oakland. The vans can be reserved by Zipcar members for hourly or daily use with rates starting from $14.75 per hour and $99 per day, which include gas, insurance, parking, roadside assistance and up to 180 miles of driving per day. Access to the vans is self-serve, so members won't experience the hassles of long lines, paperwork and additional charges associated with traditional van rental.

Zipcar has seen strong utilisation of its cargo van service in London, which has been operating for more than three years as Streetvan (part of Streetcar, a company Zipcar acquired in 2010). During this short-term pilot programme in San Francisco, Zipcar will analyse the performance of Zipvan and member feedback on the programme. Based on these results, the company says it may launch the service in select US and Canadian markets during 2012.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Volvo warns EU on its approach to electric vehicles and its transport white paper
    March 22, 2012
    Volvo Car Corporation warns that EU targets for cutting carbon dioxide emissions are being jeopardised by the absence of harmonised incentives to consumers. Another key issue is the urge for continuous support to automotive research and development, including electromobility. Stefan Jacoby, president and CEO of Volvo Car Corporation, told an industry seminar in Brussels yesterday that jobs, investment and competitiveness in the European car industry could be threatened by the European Commission's approach
    Read More
  • TRL answer key questions on urban traffic control
    March 21, 2014
    PC-based urban traffic control (UTC) continues to grow. Gavin Jackman, Head of Traffic and Software at TRL, looks forward. 1. PC-based urban traffic control is now very well established throughout the world. What have been the most significant developments or new features that have become available over the last two years? That’s a really interesting question because, from a software perspective, a few things are noticeable. Firstly, there are more players on the market – TRL’s Transyt Online, Imtech’s Imf
    Read More
  • Automated enforcement tames speeders in Chicago’s Children’s Safety Zones
    November 20, 2013
    Chicago is installing automated enforcement after pilot schemes indicated that one in 10 motorists exceed the speed limits in Children’s Safety Zones. Each year in Chicago there are around 3,000 incidents of pedestrians being struck by a motor vehicle - and about 800 of those casualties are children. In an effort to improve child safety the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) has established Children’s Safety Zones around schools and other areas where children congregate. These zones allow the impos
    Read More
  • Speed reduction measures - carrot or stick?
    January 23, 2012
    In Sweden, marketing company DDB Stockholm employed a mock speed camera as part of a promotional campaign for automotive manufacturer Volkswagen. The result was worldwide online interest and promotion of the debate over excessive speed to the national level. A developing trend in traffic management policy is to look at how to induce road users to modify their behaviour by incentivising change rather than forcing it through the application of penalties. There have been several studies conducted into this; an
    Read More

Highlighted Content