Flexcar Names Rod Diridon, Jr. General Manager of Bay Area Office

    PALO ALTO, Calif.--Oct. 29, 2002--Flexcar, the nation's oldest and largest car-sharing company has named Rod Diridon, Jr., a Santa Clara City Councilmember, as general manager of its Bay Area regional office.
    Diridon is responsible for all operations of the office, including staffing, fleet management, business development and member relations.
    Born and raised in Silicon Valley, Rod Diridon, Jr. attended local public schools and earned a bachelor's degree from San Jose State University. Prior to working with Flexcar, he spent six years with 3Com Corporation where he served as the global community relations manager. His career also includes time as a political campaign consultant, high-school teacher and automobile mechanic. Elected to the Santa Clara City Council in November of 1996 and re-elected in 2000, Diridon has been honored for his community work by the Silicon Valley Manufacturing Group, the San Jose Exchange Club and the Junior Chamber of Commerce.
    Flexcar's innovative program provides members with access to a fleet of environmentally friendly vehicles, including gas-electric hybrids and electric cars, located throughout selected metropolitan areas. Members reserve the vehicles for hourly use with Flexcar covering the cost of the car, gas, parking, insurance and maintenance. Members access the cars via a specially coded Smartcard, and pay hourly or monthly for use of the vehicles. Flexcar does not require security deposits or dues to participate in its program. Flexcar now operates car-sharing programs for more than 7,500 members in more than a dozen cities (including Los Angeles and San Diego) and counties in five states and the District of Columbia.
    "Rod has a unique blend of public and private sector experience," said Neil Peterson, Flexcar's president and CEO. "We've built our business on establishing strong partnerships in both sectors, so his experience is a perfect fit for the job at hand."
    "I've spent my life in this valley," said Diridon, "and seen it get progressively worse in terms of traffic and congestion. Even with the emphasis placed on solutions in the past few decades, we can do better. I'm excited to work for a company that not only has an innovative service, but one which can have a significant positive impact on the problems facing this region."
    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 without the associated cost and hassles.
    Flexcar's local office phone number is 408/996-FLEX (3539) and its email address is info_bayarea@flexcar.com. People interested in becoming members of Flexcar can join online by visiting the company's Website at www.flexcar.com.

    Flexcar

    Headquartered in Seattle, Flexcar now operates car-sharing programs for more than 7,500 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 Transit, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), Parsons Transportation Group and American Honda Motor Company, Inc.

    Editor's Note: Correct spelling and punctuation is "Flexcar"; not FlexCar, Flex Car or Flexicar.