Flexcar an alternative to bringing car to Pitt

Students who bring a car to college often have two competing emotions in common – the love… Students who bring a car to college often have two competing emotions in common – the love for having a vehicle and the hatred for city parking.

But Pittsburgh is now trying to solve this problem, among other transportation issues, with car-sharing company Flexcar.

Jenna Cox, business manager of Flexcar’s Pittsburgh office, said that there are currently 30 active cars in the city, and she thinks the program is going “wonderfully.”

Cox said one of the biggest benefits Flexcar provides is that it allows people to take mass transit into their workplaces every day and use Flexcars to drive to meetings or in emergency situations. It saves people gas money, parking garage costs, the pain of having to find a place to park, and it frees up parking for others.

“I hear back from members on a daily basis,” she said. “I love hearing about the benefits people are getting from the program.”

New to Pittsburgh, Flexcar began service in the Downtown and Oakland neighborhoods in early May and signed a contract with the city to allow city employees to use Flexcars soon after. The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership campaigned to have Flexcar move to the city, viewing the company as a part of its revitalization efforts.

With a Flexcar membership – you can’t drive a car without one – Flexcar covers gas, insurance, 150 free miles, 24-hour emergency service and maintenance. Anyone 21 and older can join at Flexcar’s website, www.flexcar.com. Members then choose when and where they drive.

The process works like this: Members get their Flexcard in the mail, which unlocks the car. The glove compartment contains the ignition key, fuel card, map and instruction manual. Members then reserve the time they want to drive and for how long. Rates are either $8 per hour or $63 per day.

When a member signs up with Flexcar, the company does a background check on the person’s driver’s license to make sure he is eligible for insurance. Flexcar then provides $300,000 premium insurance to each driver and requires a co-payment of $500 if the member is responsible for any major damage.

The last step for the driver is making sure the car is returned on time and the gas tank is one-fourth full.

Flexcars must be returned to the same space they were picked up at, although Cox said the company is working out a one-way transportation system for the future.

Flexcar’s website boasts that its cars are “often within a five-minute walk of your home or work.” For people who live in Oakland or work Downtown – it’s true. In Oakland alone, there are seven vehicles on or around Fifth and Forbes avenues.

The company offers membership to college students whose schools are enrolled in the program. The only Pittsburgh college currently participating in the program is the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, but Cox said a contract is in the works with Pitt as well.

Members also have their choice of cars. A standard sedan is the default choice, but pick up trucks, sports cars, hybrids and sub compacts are also available.

And some people are exercising more by using Flexcars, said Cox. One of her co-workers rides his bike to work every day from Squirrel Hill and uses the car to get around during the day.

“He’s actually going to be getting rid of his vehicle soon,” she said.

Flexcars are currently available in 14 other major cities in the U.S., and the company is expanding all the time.

Cox says the Pittsburgh branch is in the process of installing the “brains” of new cars to increase the existing number here.

The company is also hoping to expand to the North Shore and the South Side.