Flexcar Celebrates Fifth Anniversary of American Car-sharing
PORTLAND, Ore.--May 12, 2003--Portland Mayor Katz, City Commissioner Francesconi, Oregon DEQ
Director Stephanie Hallock and TriMet General Manager Fred Hansen
Herald Environmental and Community Benefits of Car-sharing
Flanked by Portland's civic, government and business leaders, Flexcar, the nation's largest and first provider of car-sharing services, today celebrated the fifth anniversary of the industry's U.S. launch at its birthplace -- Portland, Oregon.
What began as a small fleet of cars serving a handful of people in Portland's neighborhoods, is now a vibrant and growing industry spanning dozens of cities across the country, with more than 500 cars serving tens of thousands of individuals and businesses.
At the event, held outside the Portland City Hall, Mayor Vera Katz read from a proclamation heralding Portland as the "Birthplace of Car-sharing in America," and praised Flexcar for its role in leading the national push for a smart solution to today's urban congestion, parking and pollution problems.
"Portland is at the forefront of smart approaches to sustainable development in urban areas," said Katz. "Car sharing is a perfect complement to smart development. Very few people need a car full-time. By sharing vehicles, we can reduce our parking demands, which frees up valuable space for other important needs."
Founded by Dave Brook as CarSharing Portland in 1998, and merged with Flexcar in 2001, the company's innovative program now provides more than 2,500 Portland members with access to a fleet of more than 50 environmentally friendly vehicles, including gas-electric hybrids, light pickup trucks and minivans, located in reserved parking spaces throughout Portland and Vancouver, Wash. Members reserve the vehicles for hourly use with Flexcar covering the cost of the car, gas, parking, insurance, and maintenance. Members pay an hourly or monthly rate for use of the vehicles.
Portland City Commissioner Jim Francesconi announced a new program in which specially designed bike racks will be installed at select Flexcar locations. These locations, at or near TriMet bus and rail locations will support multi-modal transportation use, allowing people to safely "park" their bikes, and then use Flexcar or public transit.
"This is a perfect example of the type of collaboration and coordination that has made Portland a leader in intelligent urban development and lifestyle," said Bill Scott, general manager of Flexcar's Portland region. "The astounding growth of Flexcar, as well as car-sharing in America, is closely linked to the partnerships we've been able to form with organizations in both the public and the private sectors."
Flexcar has won numerous awards and commendations for this 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.
Flexcar
Headquartered in Seattle, Flexcar now operates car-sharing programs for more than 12,000 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, by the hour, 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, Kitsap (Wash.) Transit, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), Parsons Transportation Group and American Honda Motor Company, Inc. and Bristol Bay Native Corporation.
Editor's Note: Correct spelling and punctuation is "Flexcar"; not FlexCar, Flexicar or Flex Car.