Flexcar Receives Sustainable Community Outstanding Leadership Award; Car-Sharing Company Lauded for Its Environmental Benefits and Business Leadership

SEATTLE--May 2, 20046, 2004--Flexcar, the nation's oldest and largest provider of car-sharing programs, last night was honored with the 2004 Sustainable Community Outstanding Leadership Award from Sustainable Seattle (www.sustainableseattle.org). The award, in the Business category and one of only six total given each year, recognizes Flexcar for helping integrate economic, environmental and social concerns into its work and for fostering a higher quality of life through its business practices.

Flexcar's innovative program provides individuals and businesses with access to this fleet of environmentally-friendly vehicles, including gas-electric hybrids, located throughout Seattle and other major metropolitan areas across the country. 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.

Flexcar's program has been shown to reduce vehicle miles traveled, increase ridership of public transit, and resulted in members either selling an existing car, or avoiding buying one. With 130 vehicles in more than 20 neighborhoods in Seattle, on the Eastside and Bainbridge Island being shared by nearly 10,000 Seattle-area members, this region is feeling the strong positive impacts car-sharing can make. Nationwide, Flexcar has nearly 20,000 members and more than 300 vehicles.

"This award is really for our members," said Brett Allen, general manager of Flexcar's Seattle regional office. "Without them, we wouldn't be making the difference you see today. Our members are making the smart choice when it comes to vehicle usage and, as a result, they're making car-sharing stronger every day."

Over the years, Flexcar has won numerous awards for its benefits to communities and the environment. This is the first year the company has been honored by Sustainable Seattle, which presented its 3rd Annual Sustainable Community Outstanding Leadership Awards last night.

Sustainable Seattle

Founded in 1991, Sustainable Seattle is a non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing the long term quality of life in the Seattle/King County area. Its mission is to protect and improve the long-term health and vitality for our region and the world by applying sustainability to the links between economic prosperity, environmental vitality and social equity.

Flexcar

Headquartered in Seattle, Flexcar now operates car-sharing programs for nearly 20,000 members in more than a dozen cities and counties in six 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 and specialty vehicles including pickups, minivans 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, Flex Car or Flexicar.