Comments on: A Conversation with Robin Chase

By: DwightM

DwightM — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 18:54:49 +0000

Kate VH,

I have three ideas for you to look at:

ITN America (itnamerica.org) for a social business model of volunteer driver community transportation. Although this started with a focus on senior mobility, ITN is developing a community mobility model – ITN Everywhere.

Electric hybrid bikes. Today, I saw a hybrid bike by Giant. Beautiful design. Electric power assist with every pedal stroke. This will extend my biking. Price $1,500.

Flexible community taxi or point to point service. This ideas does not have a real name. A flexible, cell phone driven taxi service to take people from any bus stop to any bus stop, on the most direct route, within a service area with a diameter of 3 miles or five minutes travel. To go longer distances you transfer to another flex taxi at a transfer point.

The benefits of this service is high productivity. You walk a short distance to and from the origin & destination bus stops. Bus stops are used to demark stops, no need for taxi to find an address. Trips are arranged using phone or computer. Confirmations that drivers are enroute are automated. Payment is automated like EZ Pass.

As I work in a local unit of government, these are some options we are encouraging.

By: Kate VH

Kate VH — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 18:33:24 +0000

As to ideas coming down the line. I’m 59 years old and live in a small city, and work in Boston. My daily commute involves bicycling 1.5 miles to the commuter rail, riding it to Boston, walking 1 mile from the train station to my office. The time will come, 15 years or so from now, when I’ll continue to want to travel to Boston pretty regularly (I love this city), or I’ll just be wanting to get around in my small city (I don’t live in its urban core, rather live about 1.75 miles out of that core, and currently walk or bike to it at will), or I’ll need to access its neighboring suburbs for some service or to visit friends, etc., but won’t be as agile. There is a regional bus system, but its routes are restrictive. In all likelihood, I have many cohorts and I could see the need for an on-demand or on-schedule regional ridesharing program for folks not covered under government subsidy, or not willing to use up tax dollars looming larger as we baby-boomers age. I imagine NYC’s close in Long Island and Westchester suburbs, and even parts of Queens, Bronx, Brooklyn, or Staten Island will face and are facing this already. So, ideas must be in the works. How does one participate in their development?

By: Robin Chase

Robin Chase — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 17:12:34 +0000

For the record, I was no longer at Zipcar when they purchased Flexcar and closed the LA office.

By: Jason Neville

Jason Neville — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 00:18:08 +0000

I was a member of FlexCar in Los Angeles. Living car-free in LA– who’d have thought? Then ZipCar bought FlexCar and shut dozens of locations down– all except the cars at USC and UCLA.

I was excited when I heard ZipCar was taking over– thought it would lead to enhanced access, and ability to use cars ’round the world. Let me put this in the simplist of terms: ZipCar has DECREASED the amount of car-sharing in Los Angeles, and directly CONTRIBUTED to more single-car trips and pollution.

See all the disappointed/angry locals’ responses to the merger here: http://la.curbed.com/archives/2008/01/ask_curbed_wher.php

By: Deborah

Deborah — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 18:16:25 +0000

I agree with Tom. I knew people who used FlexCar here in LA, before ZipCar bought them out. There was definitely a culture brewing around these cars that were parked in “nooks” around the City. Since their withdrawal, one friend started using rent-a-car companies which a far bigger hassle. Another bought a motorcycle. I hope their operations expand and Los Angeles can once again benefit from this option.

By: Tom

Tom — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 16:18:48 +0000

Too bad Zip Car removed Flex Car from the Los Angeles market. Flex car had about 25 cars downtown that got pretty good use. And many people in this growing neighborhood don’t own cars. It might not be NYC, but it is a changing place and a place where car sharing worked and could grow in popularity. But profit margins or shortsightedness led to the cars leaving the market.
Very unfortunate.