Zipcar: A Convenient Car-Sharing Service for Urbanites - Essay Sample

Introduction

Zipcar is a car-sharing service that relies on membership. These cars are located in strategic places such as urban car parks close to homes and offices. Charges are made hourly or daily, depending on your agreement. Reserving a Zipcar is not a tedious process since there is no paperwork required. Zipcar offers excellent convenience to their clients because they are not only readily available, but they also provide an insurance cover and fill up the gas for free.

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Zipcar has made mobility easy for people who do not own cars in the cities. They are readily available, and they offer reliable cost-effective services. Members are allowed to chose the place and time that they want to pick up the car. They can also decide on the car model that they want. Reservations can be made at any time of the day since the process is on-line, and the system functions 24 hours a day, every day. The system is designed for self-service, which allows the clients to reserve a Zipcar located in a short distance. Zipcar is unlocked using a keyless entry card. Each Zipcar has a black box that carries wireless and hardware technologies that allow for communication, tracking, and access to the Zipcar. These features simplify the job of managing Zipcars. Diffusion of innovation theory is among the oldest social science theories. It was founded in 1962 by E.M. Rogers to show how products gain popularity and spread in a given population over time (LaMorte, 2019). Zipcars are an excellent example of the diffusion of innovation theory.

Who Should Use a Zipcar?

Zipcars are designed to cater to the needs of every person that does not own a vehicle but most especially the ordinary person living in the city. They enable the city dwellers to commute effectively and at a minimal cost. Businesses can also use them. Zipcars will come in handy when a company has guests that they need to take from one place to another; they can also use it for employee benefit and even for green efforts. Universities could also use Zipcars to reduce congestion on campuses and also for going green initiatives. Government agencies who seek to utilize a technology that is similar to Zipcar's consumer fleet could also make use of Zipcars.

Why Use a Zipcar?

Before Zipcars were invented, people used to rent vehicles in the old fashioned way. The process involved in getting a rental car is very tedious since there is a lot of paperwork, and the car companies do not cater for the gas and insurance. Also, rental cars are not very convenient for an average person who lives in the city and needs to run an errand. Most of these rental car companies are located in airports so they can target travellers or in bustling cities. Other advantages of using a Zipcar include:

Zipcars are highly sustainable and environmentally friendly. All around the globe, there are calls to increase efforts that will help in sustaining our environment. Zipcar has a mission to reduce the amount of CO2 being emitted in the air. 18% of the Zipcar members have sold their cars, and even more, members prefer to travel by foot, bikes or public transport more than they used to (giminstitute.org, 2015). Very few members are driving for over five times in a month.

Zipcars offers its client options for the car they want. People are more comfortable when they have things that are personalized to their unique tastes and needs. Zipcar lets its members chose the colour, model type, and make of the car they want. They also allow members to select the time slot in which they want the car and where they should pick it up.

Zipcar offers a variety of payment plans. Payment modes vary from paying as often as you use the car to monthly payments. All these payment plans are inclusive of gas, insurance, maintenance, roadside assistance, and up to 180 miles every day. Members who may choose to have yearly membership are charged separately.

Zipcars are always readily available. As time changes, the need for fast and reliable means of transport is on the rise. Zipcar offers 24/7 services, which means that city dwellers can attend to any last-minute emergencies at any time of the day.

Impact of Zipcar

By 2015, Zipcar had almost a million members and over 9,000 vehicles in cities and close to colleges. The Zipcar served nearly 300 colleges in Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom. They offer over 30 different car types and models to suit their clients' preferences (giminstitute.org, 2015). To make the cars even more accessible, they launched a way in which reservations can be made through Facebook or a mobile phone application. Zipcars are also adding a positive effect on the environment and the quality of city life. This is achieved by reducing the amount of CO2 emitted in the air. In 2010 the reduction was estimated to be 550-800 million lbs. Using the United States GAAP basis, Zipcar marked its first full year of profitability in 2012. In 2013, Zipcar was bought for 0.5 Billion dollars by Avis, an auto-rental company (giminstitute.org, 2015).

References

LaMorte, W. W. (2019, September 9). Behavioural Change Models. Retrieved from http://sphweb.bumc.bu.edu/otlt/MPH-Modules/SB/BehavioralChangeTheories/BehavioralChangeTheories4.html.

Zipcar -. (2015). Retrieved from https://www.giminstitute.org/index.php/project/zipcar/.