Flexcar Grows Los Angeles Car-Sharing Program; Four Cars Placed in Figueroa Street Financial District; Program Debuts on USC Campus

    LOS ANGELES--March 4, 2003--Flexcar, the nation's largest provider of car-sharing programs, today announced the addition of five vehicles and locations to its Los Angeles region. Four of the vehicles have been placed along the "Figueroa Street Financial District," giving downtown commuters access to a car at the office without having to drive to the office. The fifth car has been placed on the University of Southern California campus, giving faculty, staff and students access to a vehicle for hourly use.
    Flexcar's award-winning program provides its members with access to a network of environmentally friendly vehicles located throughout select metropolitan areas. Members reserve the vehicles for hourly use with Flexcar covering the cost of the car, gas, parking, insurance and maintenance. Members can pay an hourly or monthly rate for use of the vehicles.
    Increasing numbers of individuals, businesses and universities are turning to Flexcar to solve their mobility needs. Flexcar's hourly and monthly rates can save thousands of dollars per year for those individuals in urban areas who only need a vehicle occasionally. Flexcar's business plans save companies money and administration hassles versus fleet ownership or employee transportation reimbursements.
    Flexcar now has eight cars in downtown Los Angeles, including two at Union Station, four along Figueroa and one on the USC campus. A total of 10 other cars are located in Santa Monica, Burbank, Pasadena and Long Beach.
    "One of the biggest obstacles to commuting via transit is the need for a car during the day for business or personal trips," said Michael Woo, the former LA City Councilmember who now runs Flexcar's Los Angeles office. "We now give people access to a car at the office without them having to drive to the office. Given the choice, who wants to sit in traffic?"
    Building on its deep experience with universities, Flexcar also announced the placement of its first vehicle on the University of Southern California campus. Universities, including the University of Washington and Portland State University, have turned to Flexcar to help mitigate parking concerns while still providing mobility for students, faculty and staff. By decreasing the number of people who drive to campus, a university can better allocate limited real estate to other pressing needs, like buildings or other facilities.
    "Anything we can do to reduce the number of cars on campus is a good thing," said Brian d'Autremont, director of transportation services at USC. "Flexcar presents a viable transportation option for USC faculty, staff and students that will enable more people to commute to campus via some other mode than driving their car."
    Flexcar has had great success on other urban campuses, including the University of Washington, Portland State University and Oregon Health Science University. In each case, the university has partnered with Flexcar to encourage alternative commutes to and from campus, while using Flexcar vehicles for both personal and work-related trips.
    Following a successful European model, Flexcar launched its Seattle operations in 2000, and has since won numerous awards and commendations for its program that reduces congestion, air pollution and energy use, while increasing use of public transportation and contributing to sustainable communities. Used in conjunction with public transit, car/vanpools and walking/biking, car-sharing helps individuals meet their transportation needs in an economic and environmentally responsible manner, giving them the freedom of car ownership.
    People interested in becoming members can join online at www.flexcar.com or call 213/482-3539 for more information. Memberships are available for a one-time fee of $25.00.

    FLEXCAR

    Headquartered in Seattle, Flexcar now operates car-sharing programs for more than 10,000 members in more than a dozen cities and counties in 5 states and the District of Columbia. With flexible pricing plans, members can reserve and drive any of these cars whenever and wherever they need to, without filling out complicated paperwork, paying for insurance, gas or repairs. Flexcar Business Memberships enable companies to augment or replace their fleet with Flexcar vehicles. Flexcar's modern fleet includes sedans, gas-electric hybrids, electric cars and specialty vehicles, including pickups and convertibles. Flexcar has established strategic partnerships with King County (Wash.) Metro, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), Parsons Transportation Group and American Honda Motor Company, Inc.