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Member: Steve Kluskens, Office Manager, Flansburgh Associates, Inc.
Metro Area: Boston Rate Plan: z2b Member Since: October 2001 Drivers on Account: 11 Average Monthly Bill: $1085 We'd been using Zipcar for two years, but initially only as a backup to the company cars. Four factors influenced the decision to essentially make Zipcar the company fleet: 1) Zipcar is cheaper. After carefully analyzing our patterns of use and the cost of keeping a car in Boston, the spreadsheet showed that Zipcar use would be significantly cheaper. In the seven months since we've made the switch, Zipcar has saved us money every month. 2) Zipcar is more reliable. Their fleet is bigger than ours was. If one of our cars was down, there was a big hole. If one of their cars is down, we don't notice it; it gets replaced or there's always another Zipcar close at hand. 3) Zipcar takes over fleet management. In the cost analysis, I didn't calculate my own labor in managing the vehicles and the staff reservations. I looked strictly at dollars out, and Zipcar was cheaper. In addition, 10% of my time was going to transportation management. Now I'm out of the loop: the staff is oriented and drivers make their own reservations online. Zipcar handles maintenance, insurance issues, and all the behind-the-scenes stuff. It's a huge labor savings, and one staff member has even said he felt "empowered" because he didn't have to come to me for the keys. 4) It's easier to control costs with Zipcar. I don't have to guess how many cars we need and then lock my firm into three-year leases. Our monthly transportation expense reflects exactly what we did that month, not what I guessed we would do two years ago. The icing on the cake, of course, is that Zipcar is also greener. We're using cars now that other people are using, instead of holding two just for our use. We're using more fuel-efficient cars with Zipcar. We've freed up a couple parking spaces in Boston. I use Zipcar myself on occasion; there's a sense you get when you step out of the car, leaving it for the next guy, knowing that your expense and responsibility to the vehicle is done right there, that "this is smart." Finally, after working two years with the people at Zipcar, I'm very impressed with the organization. They've grown, but they're still as responsive as ever. They're expanding in other cities. I think they're the right organization with the right idea at the right time.
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