I wasn’t really familiar with more than the general location. Right now, the two cars are located near Western Michigan University’s campus at one of the apartment complexes. Zipcars have a regular spot where they are parked. Normally, the charge is by the hour or by the day.īefore I could leave on my drive I had to find the car I had reserved. time because there was a special rate for keeping the car overnight. I wanted to attend a social of the West Michigan Makers at Axis Lab in Grand Rapids, which was about an hour north. ![]() ![]() The first reservation was made for Wednesday, Nov. After our first date, I'm still in that "getting to know you" period, as I discover more about how Zipcar works. To keep the awkwardness to a minimum, follow the Ziptips down below."įunny how accurate this description was. Of course, there's always that getting-to-know-you period. The email: "Your first Ziptrip is kinda like a first date. On signing up, emails and messages started coming my way - and one in particular struck me as funny, calling me out for "first date jitters." I was so excited when I was pointed to the article about Zipcars in Kalamazoo that I couldn’t wait to have a reason to reserve one.Īs soon as I saw the Zipcar announcement, I couldn't want to find an excuse to reserve one. To get the full coverage for driving a Zipcar, I paid less than that for a year! With my own car, I was paying an average of $100 a month for insurance. Insurance is also included, along with a separate monthly or yearly payment to be covered for full liability. The difference with this example to a rental is that the price includes the gas, since there is a shared credit card left in the vehicle that is specifically for filling the tank, which makes the rental much easier to budget around. One of the rules, for example, is that the gas tank has to have a minimum of one-quarter tank available for the next driver. For the uninitiated, Zipcar offers car rentals from one's own community, with standardized rules and protection for both sides of the exchange. That wish finally came true when Zipcar rolled into town this October. ![]() I've been waiting for car sharing to make its way to Kalamazoo since hearing about it years ago. If I could access a car whenever I needed one, however, I could budget for errands and trips out of local transit range - but Kalamazoo doesn't have quite the sharing economy infrastructure that Silicon Valley does, so where's one to start? A parking space would run an extra $120 every year. Without access to a driveway or garage after a recent move, even parking would be an issue. I didn’t want the responsibility of owning a car and the costs that go with maintaining it, including insurance and gas. What I really wanted as part of that lifestyle was not a car - but occasional access to one. Kalamazoo is just big enough, or maybe, just small enough, that if the transit system cannot get you to your destination, you might be able to walk, bike, or find a ride. When I sold my car close to two years ago, it was more than a financial choice - it was a lifestyle choice.
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