Flexcar and PCC Natural Markets Team Up To Offer A Natural Solution to Seattle's Traffic Nightmare
SEATTLE--June 2, 2003--Flexcar, the nation's largest provider of car-sharing programs, and PCC Natural Markets, the nation's largest natural food cooperative, today announced a broad partnership to increase environmentally-friendly and sustainable transportation options in the Puget Sound region.
The collaboration calls for Flexcar to place eco-friendly gas-electric Honda Civic Hybrid vehicles at each of PCC Natural Markets' seven retail locations, making them available for hourly use by Flexcar members.
Flexcar's innovative program provides its members with access to a fleet of low emission vehicles, including gas/electric hybrids, pickup trucks and minivans located throughout Seattle, Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, Bremerton and Bainbridge Island. Members reserve the vehicles for hourly use with Flexcar covering the cost of the car, gas, parking, insurance, and maintenance. With flexible pricing plans, members can enjoy the freedom of car ownership without the hassles and costs.
PCC and Flexcar are well known for operating their businesses in an environmentally-responsible manner and this new partnership reinforces that shared commitment. PCC Natural Markets are located in dense urban areas around Puget Sound, where parking is at a premium and residents face congestion and pollution issues. By providing Flexcar access to residents in the communities PCC serves, the company is offering a smart transportation option, thereby reducing the need for parking and enabling greater use of public transit, walking and biking -- all of which improves the quality of life in a community.
"We are a member-driven organization, but we also pride ourselves on being good partners in the communities we serve," said Tracy Wolpert, PCC's chief executive officer. "Partnering with Flexcar is one way in which we can offer a real benefit to our members as well as our neighbors."
PCC members already enjoy a wide range of benefits well beyond the variety of healthy, natural foods for which PCC is known, including special discounts offered exclusively to them by over 300 local businesses. PCC's new partnership with Flexcar, and their PCC memberships, entitle them to join Flexcar for significantly reduced application and hourly usage fees.
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, and increases use of public transit while contributing to sustainable communities. Currently, Flexcar has more than 13,000 members in five major cities, including Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles, San Diego and the Washington DC metro area.
"Having a car at PCC adds another layer of convenience for PCC and Flexcar members," said William del Valle, general manager of Flexcar's Seattle region. "They can combine multiple errands, such as food shopping, and trips to the dry cleaners and the bank, into a single trip in a hybrid car, which will help reduce pollution and congestion."
Hybrid vehicles comprise more than 20 percent of Flexcar's Seattle fleet through a partnership with King County Metro and the Environmental Protection Agency.
Flexcar
Headquartered in Seattle, Flexcar now operates car-sharing programs for more than 13,000 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 Transit, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), Parsons Transportation Group, American Honda Motor Company, Inc. and Bristol Bay Native Corporation.
Editor's Note: Correct spelling and punctuation is "Flexcar"; not FlexCar, Flex Car or Flexicar.