One way is to offer fleet management services to self-driving car operators, like Avis recently announced it would be doing with Alphabet’s Waymo. Car rental companies like Zipcar’s parent Avis are scrambling to adapt to the fast-changing atmosphere.
Meanwhile, ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft are in fierce battle over daily commutes and short, spur-of-the-moment trips. And subscription services by Cadillac, Audi, and Porsche are charging monthly rates for unlimited access to vehicles. The company has seen a rise in competition lately from other car-sharing services like Daimler’s Car2Go, GM’s Maven, and BMW’s Reach Now. Zipcar’s announcement comes at a time when traditional automakers are ramping up efforts to appeal to younger, city dwellers who don’t hold to the same notions of personal car ownership.
The news was first reported by The Wall Street Journal. Now it will be available to Zipcar members who live in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle, Toronto, and Washington, DC. So, if you’re late, Zipcar can tell based on the final time that you locked the car doors. Zipcar will process your car as returned at that point. When you return the car to the proper location, lock the doors using either the app or your Zipcard. The subscription program began as an experiment among a small group of commuters in New York City late last year. Zipcar will know that you’ve completed the return when you lock the doors. Monthly fees of $199 to $299 depending upon the city