Armada of Flexcar Vehicles Descends on DC Metro Area; Flexcar and Metro Increase Fleet Size by Nearly 50 Percent; Additional 46 Vehicles Brings Fleet to 130

WASHINGTON, D.C.--March 11, 2004--Flexcar, the nation's oldest and largest provider of car-sharing programs, today announced an almost 50 percent increase to the size of its car-sharing fleet. During the next few weeks, the company will add a total of 46 new Honda Civic and Honda Civic Hybrid sedans, Honda Elements and Ford Ranger pickup trucks to its DC Metro fleet, bringing the total number of shared Flexcar vehicles to 130. The cars, trucks and SUVs are available for hourly use by members in dozens of communities within the District, Virginia and Maryland.

Through its partnership with Metro, Flexcar's innovative program provides individuals and businesses with access to this fleet of vehicles located throughout the DC metro area. Members reserve the vehicles via the Web or touch-tone phone for hourly use with Flexcar covering the cost of the car, gas, parking, insurance and maintenance. Members access the cars via a specially coded keycard, and pay hourly or discounted monthly rates for use of the vehicles.

There are now more than 85 Flexcar vehicles located at or near 53 Metro stations throughout the region. In addition, new vehicles have been placed in a wide variety of locations, including public streets, corporate office parks, gas stations, gourmet supermarkets and others, making it more convenient for the nearly 5,000 Flexcar members in the region.

Continuing its commitment to regionwide mobility, Flexcar serves dozens of communities in the District of Columbia, Arlington County, City of Alexandria, Fairfax County, Montgomery County and Prince George's County. Flexcar is proud to serve the entire Washington, D.C. region, regardless of income or other demographic factors.

Flexcar last expanded its fleet by two dozen vehicles in December 2003, when it grew from 60 to 84 vehicles, meaning the company has seen 133 percent vehicle growth in just the last four months.

"The growth curve tells it all. Car-sharing is really taking off in the region," said Tim Vogel, general manager of Flexcar's DC Metro area operations. "A lot of that growth is as a result of Metro's support for car-sharing as a way to extend mobility to its customers beyond the use of transit. Together we're helping reduce traffic congestion and air pollution, and that's a win-win situation for everyone."

Membership surveys show that Flexcar members ride public transportation, combine trips and either sell or avoid buying a car, so the benefit to the environment is obvious and will grow exponentially as the program continues to grow.

"Flexcar continues to help meet the needs of Metro's customers," said Lora Byala, program manager of regional planning for Metro. "Riders know that Metro is providing a full range of transportation options to help get them where they need to go and Flexcar plays a big role in that."

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.

People interested in becoming members can join online at www.flexcar.com or call 202-296-1359 for more information. Memberships are available for an annual fee of $25.00.

Flexcar

Headquartered in Seattle, Flexcar now operates car-sharing programs for more than 19,000 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, Bristol Bay Native Corporation and American Honda Motor Company, Inc.

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