Flexcar Brings Car-Sharing to San Jose; Adobe and San Jose State University Among First Customers

    SAN JOSE, Calif.--Nov. 20, 2002--Flexcar, the nation's oldest and largest car-sharing company, today announced it has expanded its Bay Area operations to the city of San Jose. Flexcar initially will place four cars in the city, with one located at Adobe Systems Incorporated headquarters, two located at San Jose State University and a fourth near Park Center Plaza. Flexcar offers a similar program in Palo Alto and will continue to expand throughout the Bay Area in the coming year.
    Flexcar's innovative neighborhood-based car-sharing 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 ($9.00 per hour) or monthly (plans begin at $40 for 5 hours) for use of the vehicles. Flexcar does not require a security deposit or monthly dues to participate in its program.
    "This is an exciting opportunity for San Jose," said San Jose City Councilmember Cindy Chavez. "Car-sharing has the potential to decrease traffic, reduce impacts on parking and provide easy access to a car for people downtown. Car-sharing is good for the community and good for our environment."
    San Jose State, Adobe and the community at large all have different, yet interrelated, issues when it comes to the impacts of traffic and parking. For SJSU, most of the University's staff and students drive to campus and leave their car there all day. As the population size grows, parking pressures inevitably increase.
    "Flexcar has the potential to help us relieve parking pressure here at SJSU," said Ric Abeyta, Chief of Police for the University. "With convenient access to cars on campus we hope that more people will take public transportation. We can then focus even more of our efforts on educating students -- not on parking."
    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. Studies of member behavior in Flexcar's other operating regions, including Washington, D.C., Portland, Ore., and Seattle, show that many members take fewer trips, drive fewer miles, combine their trips with public transit and in some cases sell a car or avoid buying one altogether. As a program grows, this beneficial impact on communities and the environment becomes more significant.
    "Car sharing provides one of the final pieces in our public transportation puzzle," said Rod Diridon, Jr., Flexcar's Bay Area general manager. "It allows people to commute using public transportation without the fear of not having a car when they need one. It also affords people the freedom to choose not to buy a car, or not to buy a second car, yet still have access to one when they want it."
    Flexcar's Bay Area offices can be reached at 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.
    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.

    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.