July 18, 2005

Zipcar coming to Seattle. Zipcar is a rival to the car-sharing program, Flexcar. I *heart* Flexcar, but I see no reason to stay brand loyal if prices and services are similar. (Mini Coopers with XM Radio won't get me to pay more money, sorry. John Williams has my number.)

Whoever puts a car in the parking lot of the 7-11 at NE 50th Street and 1st Avenue will get my business.

comments...

Would YOU leave a car in that parking lot?

Heh. Well, I admit it hadn't occurred to me that the lot would be a concern. The 7-11 is open and lit 24/7, gets business throughout the night, and is very visible from the street.

FlexCars are hard to drive away without a valid membership card and PIN: the ignition systems are hacked to require a four-digit number that matches the account associated with the proximity card used to unlock the door. The ignition key itself is in the glove box. Anything that would happen to a car by a non-member would probably have to happen on the spot.

If someone wanted to target FlexCars specifically, I can think of a dozen more viable locations.