Review of Zipcar in Vancouver

photo credit: jm3

Ever since I was 15 I’ve had a car (yes even before I could drive). I love cars, and even to this day I have two of them. But this is the first winter that I will be going without a car of my own on the road. I have a convertible, and Vancouver pretty well hates convertibles in the winter, so I’m stuck taking the Vancouver buses everywhere…

Or so I thought…

Through a friend I heard about a company called Zipcar. Basically it’s a car co-op ride share program in Vancouver and other cities across North America that has a whole slew of cars around the city that you can pre-book and hop in to go do errands, pick up groceries, haul stuff from IKEA etc. I signed up yesterday because I had to scoot over to a friends house on the other side of town and figured I’d post my experience with Zipcar in Vancouver.

Signing up for Zipcar

Signing up for an account is pretty reasonable ($55/Year + $25 sign up fee). I had to get ICBC to send in my driving record, but this was simple and I was approved in about two hours! I then just had to go down to Waterfront station and pick up the card and I was all set.

Reserving your Zipcar

Reserving the car couldn’t have been easier. Online I just chose the time that I wanted to book the car, and it brought up all of the cars in the neighborhood that were free. It listed them in order of distance, and provided a price estimate of how much the car would cost. After the reservation they also sent me a text message to my cell to remind me of the details. At this point I was very impressed. The selection of cars are also impressive. You can pick up a number of “zippy” cars anywhere from Toyota Tacoma’s to Mini Coopers to Honda Civics.

Picking up the Zipcar

I noticed that no one had reserved the car before I did, so I was actually able to head down and pick up the car 10 minutes early. Once you get to the Zipcar, you just scan your card on the windshield and the doors unlock. They key was in the center console, and the glove compartment had a guide which answers any questions you may have about the car.

The car was in great shape aside from a bit of garbage that was left by the last person. I guess this is to be expected sometimes as the cars don’t go back to a main office to be looked at after every use. I did notice that the car had a few deep scratches on it, so I phoned these into Zipcar’s automated phone system. It was pretty easy, but it takes quite a while to get through the phone menu.

Using the Zipcar

Using the car was pretty much as you would expect it. The zip car was in good working order, and there was fuel in the tank when I picked it up. I did have to extend my reservation twice during the trip (I was going to be late) so I had to call into the dreaded automated system again. Once I navigated through the menu it was very simple to extend the time, but doing so while driving was difficult.

Putting gas in the Zipcar

This is one aspect that I really like about Zipcar in Vancouver. Gas is included. That’s right, you don’t have to pay for gas. There is a gas card in the car that you can use to fill the tank at no expense. The only draw back is that the gas card can only be used at ESSO. I thought this kinda sucks, but they do say if you can’t find an ESSO that Zipcar will reimburse you for the fuel. I managed to find an ESSO and it was super easy to fill the tank with free gas

Returning the Zipcar

Returning the car was much like picking it up. I left the keys in the car, parked it in the same spot, and scanned my card to lock it. Simple, straightforward, fun…

Conclusion

My first Zip car experience was good. I haven’t dealt with their customer service as of yet, and I also haven’t gotten a bill so I’m not sure if the cost will be worth it, but if you’re looking for a way of getting around town occasionally in Vancouver or any other city that has it for that matter be sure to check it out. I know I’ll be Zipping around town this winter so wave if you see me.

Also, if you are looking to sign up you can get another $25 bucks off your driving bill by signing up through this site! Just click the square banner to the right.

Have fun, be happy.
~E