Zipcar Survey Indicates Permanent Transportation Behavior Changes Caused By High Gas Prices

Survey by North America's Largest Car Sharing Company Shows 'Pain at the Pump' to be $3.60 Per Gallon

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., June 19 -- Americans are now walking, biking and seeking alternatives to driving as a result of skyrocketing gas prices. Even if gas prices were to lower significantly, this change in transportation behavior may be permanent, according to a new survey by Zipcar, North America's largest car sharing company. Additionally, the survey shows that drivers' real "pain at the pump," or average price point at which driving behavior changes, is $3.60 per gallon.

In an opt-in survey of more than 2,322 US Zipcar members, 77 percent of respondents stated that rising gas prices influenced them to increase the frequency of their use of alternative transportation methods, including walking, biking, car sharing and public transportation. According to the survey, 86 percent of respondents also declared that they would continue to use these alternative modes of transportation, even if gas prices fall.

In addition, the survey indicated that changes in driving behavior were realized by 53 percent of all respondents when prices reached $3.00 per gallon. Based on member responses, Zipcar also estimates that 81 percent of respondents will change driving behavior and seek alternatives to car ownership as gas prices rise to $4.00 per gallon, a near term possibility as prices tend to spike during summer travel months.

According to Zipcar CEO Scott Griffith, these findings illustrate that urban transportation behaviors are being impacted by gas costs. "At Zipcar, we can attribute up to 50 percent of our new membership applications to the rise in fuel costs. This indicates that there is a direct correlation between the number of people looking for alternative transportation options, and the price of gas," he said. "Of course no one likes high gas prices, but from this survey we learned that eco-friendly behavior changes spurred by high gas costs will largely remain permanent and that significant change is on the horizon."

For more information or to obtain a copy of the survey, please contact Kristina.Kennedy@rfbinder.com.

About Zipcar:

With more than 55,000 consumer and business drivers, Zipcar is North America's premier car sharing experience. The company currently operates 1,500 vehicles in 11 states and provinces, including metropolitan New York, Boston, San Francisco, Minneapolis, Toronto and Washington, DC. In recent studies by Zipcar and other government transportation agencies, it was found that each Zipcar takes more than 20 privately-owned vehicles off the road. Forty percent of Zipcar members stated that had Zipcar not been a viable and economically sound transportation solution, they would have kept their privately-owned vehicle, or would have purchased a primary or secondary vehicle. With Zipcar's technology, accessing and using a Zipcar is as easy as getting cash from an ATM. In minutes or up to a year in advance, members can reserve Zipcars online or by phone, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Zipcar members have automated access to Zipcars using a "Zipcard" to simply unlock the door and drive away. With Zipcar, gas, parking and insurance are always included.