BugsyPal

Gave up on car share after Hertz on Demand went away, but for those that still do:
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/31/n...r-parking.html

Auto Enthusiast

What's funny is these cars will be placed in the outer borough transit deserts, the same places whose residents until recently were subject to hefty rental car surcharges.

BugsyPal

Many of those areas are rapidly gentrifying thanks to a heavy influx of (mostly) white transplants priced out of Manhattan. They are the ones who are mostly over the moon about this scheme,

Meanwhile Enterprise and Zipcar are saving themselves huge amounts in garage fees, and aren't paying NYC one thin dime for the parking spaces. The amount of discount supposedly given to "underserved" areas/persons has not been made public yet, so it remains to be seen how deep that discount will be and to who it will apply.

Give it time; Zipcars and Enterprise that are already parked on street look like who did it and ran within a few months. Since these areas will be clearly marked those vehicles will be sitting ducks for vandalism and or anyone with a grudge. IIRC Zipcar or Enterprise pulled out of Chicago due to vandalism and theft/fraud issues.

The other thing about both car share companies is the rates aren't exactly cheap as advertised. In NYC those $14/hr. or other similarly low rate vehicles are often hard to find/reserve, so often people have to spend more.

Even at $14/hr. that number is really more like $20 after taxes and fees. Plus you have to pay a yearly fee and perhaps one at sign-up.

IAHtraveler

It was Enterprise CarShare that pulled out last summer.

Brighton Line

Zipcar NYC Taxes
NYC MCT District Supplemental Rental Tax 5%
NY Passenger Car Rental Tax 6%
NYC/State Sales Tax 8.88%

Only good thing is their Monday night 6p to 8:30a Overnight Discount $33 with the tax that is $37.57. Tuesday thru Thursday the Overnight Discount is $43 but with tax, it comes out to $51.55. Yes, 180 miles/gas included even in an hour rental. I used to have multiple cars available to me on my block, that garage is being turned into a Target, started as a Municipal Log, then became a design/build/operate parking garage that went bankrupt, now will be office/retail with no parking but I digress. Now I take the subway three stops to get the car for my monthly shopping at a warehouse store, I belong at minimum $50 a month no rollover rate, using it a lot less than when the cars were convenient.

Enterprise was in the same garage but when the garage closed they disappeared from anywhere nearby. We have Cars2Go that Smart Car ridesharing but too far to walk so I use Zipcar once or twice during the month weekday and still rent from regular car rentals on the weekend.

cestmoi123

They should be, as should anyone storing their personal property (i.e. their cars) on the street. Time to end free on-street parking in NYC (or at least in Manhattan and denser areas of the other boroughs).

Auto Enthusiast

The only practical way for a for-profit business like Zipcar etc to offer lower rates to under-served areas in a high cost environment is to find a way to lower those costs. Free on street parking is one such method, but not necessarily the only or best way. Rotating in old, beat up high mileage ex-Avis cars, as Zipcar seems to do for some college campuses, is another. Building more parking garages with cheaper rates, in the basements of buildings in those neighborhoods, would be another. No one is going to be entirely happy when shortcuts are taken, but without them, prices remain high and/or services remain unavailable.

Of course, the ultimate solution would be encouraging people to move out of transit deserts. But that would mean thousands more people competing directly for housing in central areas, further increasing costs and accelerating gentrification. If that's not a good idea, either, there needs to be an in-place accommodation.

BugsyPal

Looked at both Zipcar and Enterprise car share after Hertz 24/7 (aka Hertz on Demand) bit the dust. Wasn't impressed by either and level of complaints gave me second thoughts.

Neither seems to have great or even decent customer service with things taking ages to resolve, if ever.

My main issue was seeing vehicles from both companies around the city were mostly all busted up to some extent. Having used HOD I knew that drill; their vehicles even when starting out new were busted up within a few months. Each rental was like adventure land; you never knew if the thing would start, have a full (or any) gas in tank, what maintenance lights would be lit, and so forth.

Largest issue with HOD and from what one understands that still plague both Enterprise and Zipcar is condition of vehicle. A good number of times the assigned car is filthy to gross both inside and out

Tobacco or pot smoke, food/children's snacks leftovers, pet hair (and or waste), used condoms and or vehicle otherwise smelling like it has been used as a cheap motel...

The other thing that put me off Enterprise or Zipcar are the rates; especially since you cannot see what anything is until you've paid the (non-refundable) application fees, been accepted then can look around. Did find out that those offers of vehicles <$10/hr. are rare. The low hourly rates are sometimes "ok", if you keep things to under say three; but more than that and certainly for a full day you are better off renting from a regular place.

BugsyPal

Keep that in mind when you have a rented car from National or whatever and need to park it somewhere, especially overnight. Or do you believe those who do not own a vehicle as their "personal property" should get some sort of pass?

BugsyPal

Garages and gas stations are vanishing in many areas of NYC (especially Manhattan) thanks to the hot RE market. Those properties without residential tenants to deal with are simply worth far more money in terms of development than current use.

There is also garages often didn't or don't seem very happy with car share schemes; well at least the attendants who must deal with the customers.

Back when HOD was in business would say only one garage in my area was truly onboard and on point. They always had HOD vehicles parked in a row in front so you could just get in and go.

Other places never had the vehicle ready (even when you called the required 30 minutes in advance). Then would verbally abuse (I don't work for Hertz, it's not my job....", and often take *paying* customers first before bringing up the HOD vehicle. And God forbid you wanted to take out or bring back late or over night.

So again this scheme is a win-win for Zipcar and Enterprise. They are reducing their garage rental costs, and getting free reserved street space. Again whatever discount is offered for the "poor" or whatever likely can somehow be written off as good will or other CODB

cestmoi123

What makes you think I believe rentals should be exempt? No reason to have free parking for any vehicles, rented or not, on city streets (at least in Manhattan, given the congestion), during the day or overnight.