Will car-sharing work in Richmond?

If you’re looking to take a Zipcar on a test drive for yourself, you’ll have to leave Richmond’s city limits, In fact, the closest locations to Richmond are in Washington, D.C. and Chapel Hill, N.C.

The company, which is not yet profitable, is adding new customers at a 4% or 5% monthly clip, mostly because urban drivers are going car-less and renting on the occasions when they need four wheels.

But if you’re looking to take a Zipcar on a test drive for yourself, you’ll have to leave Richmond’s city limits, In fact, the closest locations to Richmond are in Washington, D.C. and Chapel Hill, N.C.

You’d think Richmond would be ideal, at least for residents in the denser urban center. Most Zipcar customers use their cars for less than an hour for errands like grocery shopping. That would be ideal for Fan residents who want occasional use of a car but don’t need one for their daily routine.

zipcarThe company often adds locations in urban university towns. VCU would seem a decent market with around 30,000 students packed into an area only a few blocks wide.

But, alas, no dice. A company spokeswoman said she knows of no plans to add a location in Richmond.

This is the first story on our new Gas-O-Scream blog, which covers energy costs and how businesses are reacting. Tomorrow, look for a story on local firms cutting back to a four-day work week.

If you’re looking to take a Zipcar on a test drive for yourself, you’ll have to leave Richmond’s city limits, In fact, the closest locations to Richmond are in Washington, D.C. and Chapel Hill, N.C.

The company, which is not yet profitable, is adding new customers at a 4% or 5% monthly clip, mostly because urban drivers are going car-less and renting on the occasions when they need four wheels.

But if you’re looking to take a Zipcar on a test drive for yourself, you’ll have to leave Richmond’s city limits, In fact, the closest locations to Richmond are in Washington, D.C. and Chapel Hill, N.C.

You’d think Richmond would be ideal, at least for residents in the denser urban center. Most Zipcar customers use their cars for less than an hour for errands like grocery shopping. That would be ideal for Fan residents who want occasional use of a car but don’t need one for their daily routine.

zipcarThe company often adds locations in urban university towns. VCU would seem a decent market with around 30,000 students packed into an area only a few blocks wide.

But, alas, no dice. A company spokeswoman said she knows of no plans to add a location in Richmond.

This is the first story on our new Gas-O-Scream blog, which covers energy costs and how businesses are reacting. Tomorrow, look for a story on local firms cutting back to a four-day work week.

This story is for our paid subscribers only. Please become one of the thousands of BizSense Pro readers today!

Your subscription has expired. Renew now by choosing a subscription below!

For more informaiton, head over to your profile.

Profile


SUBSCRIBE NOW

 — 

 — 

 — 

TERMS OF SERVICE:

ALL MEMBERSHIPS RENEW AUTOMATICALLY. YOU WILL BE CHARGED FOR A 1 YEAR MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL AT THE RATE IN EFFECT AT THAT TIME UNLESS YOU CANCEL YOUR MEMBERSHIP BY LOGGING IN OR BY CONTACTING [email protected].

ALL CHARGES FOR MONTHLY OR ANNUAL MEMBERSHIPS ARE NONREFUNDABLE.

EACH MEMBERSHIP WILL ONLY FUNCTION ON UP TO 3 MACHINES. ACCOUNTS ABUSING THAT LIMIT WILL BE DISCONTINUED.

FOR ASSISTANCE WITH YOUR MEMBERSHIP PLEASE EMAIL [email protected]




Return to Homepage

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

0 Comments
oldest
newest most voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments