The 3 Next Best Things to a Free Car:
June 16, 2008 by Marcie · Leave a Comment
Rideshare/Carpooling/Car Share
“This is the UCLA Vanpool that I drive, parked at my house. I take a total of 11 people to UCLA and back to San Gabriel, which is about 60 miles round trip. The van is kept at my house overnight and over the weekends. I am allowed to use it for personal use also.
It is a GMC Savana 3500, which weighs 6 tons, seats 11, and has a 300HP Vortec V8 engine.
This van gets an average 12 MPG .. but for 11 people, thus taking 10 cars off the freeways and preventing the burning of an additional 42,500 gallons of gas a year (10 additional cars). All this, just from one vanpool.”
Rideshare and carpooling are very similar, although Rideshare can be local or long distance and cross country, whereas carpooling is localized. With gas prices being steadily driven upwards, there is a clear need to reduce costs of commuting so there has been a dramatic increase in carpooling and rideshare
Rideshare/Carpooling resources are virtually the same as the local government vanpool services.
Rideshare is great for:
Commuters/Recurring
Universities
Company carpool groups
Religious groups
Club meetings
Athletic teams
Also for events:
Concerts
Conventions
Sporting Events
Political Rallies
Long Distance Rideshare:
Can easily beat the price of Greyhound or Amtrak.
You can find rides for the shared price of tolls and fuels, sometimes a small additional fee or maybe no fee at all in exchange for your company on a long trip. There are free services where you can post a notice or search their database. Some offer incentives. Members using the service will earn points redeemable for gift cards at participating retailers and corporate sponsors (museums, sports stores, car washes, etc.)
Car Sharing Groups-For the Occasional Driver
Started in Europe in Switzerland in 1987, Germany in 1988, Quebec, Canada in 1993
In 2007, per Susan Sheehan of UCBerkeley there were 18 U. S. car sharing programs with 134,094 members sharing 3,637 vehicles
In Canada, there are 13 carsharing programs with 21,817 members sharing 994 cars
40% of users don’t buy a car or sell current car and drive 50% less
Each carshare car replaces over 15 privately owned vehicles
$5000 average savings per year
Carsharing is undergoing exponential growth
Business customers/companies use it as an alternative to fleets
Neighborhood car shares – great for housebound housewives
Eases pollution, traffic congestion, parking shortages, and expands mobility
Car Share locator tools available on Internet
One time application fee and annual membership
Those of us who are car-free still have an occasional need for wheels. Car-sharing can put you on the road for $8 an hour including gas, mileage and insurance. If you are going to need a vehicle for more than half a day, a rental will be more cost effective.
Car Ownership Costs $769
Car payment with finance charge (incl. depreciation) $345
Insurance $80/Gas $ 78/License, tax, registration $45
Maintenance and tires $46/Parking $175
Car Share
If you drive a lot $304
(Several trips/wk, weekend trek to country,
(10 two-hour, 2 three-hour and 2 daily/24-hour reservations)
If you drive a fair amount $158
(A couple of trips/wk, (6 two-hour, 2 four-hour reservations)
If you don’t drive much $ 35
(About one trip per week or 4-one hour reservations)
Car Share How-To
Join/Apply online-you must be 21+/Receive your Card (ATM type card)
Reserve a car online or by phone
Walk to car, hold card to windshield, doors unlock
Drive away-then return to same reserved spot. Gas and insurance are included.
Links:
http://www.citycarshare.org/ SF and Bay Area
http://www.flexcar.com/ Flexcar (SF)
http://www.flexcar.com/ ZipCar (SF)
http://www.511.org 511.org
Benefits of Vanpools for Companies
June 16, 2008 by Marcie · Leave a Comment
Benefits:
- Boosts employee benefits at no cost
- Boost employee morale because it reduces commute expenses by 70-80%, reduces stress, riders can nap and arrive refreshed, improves job performance
- Improves employee retention, absenteeism, tardiness
- Gives the company access to a larger talent pool-top candidates prefer companies with stress-free commute options
- When a company moves a vanpool provider can implement a relocation plan and custom commute plans Keep talent-employees leave jobs in favor of employment closer to home and a shorter commute
- Enhances a company’s eco-conscious image
HR Directors go to the following links for information, tools and assistance in setting up a vanpool program for your company:
How to Save Money on Airport Car Parking
June 16, 2008 by Marcie · Leave a Comment
It’s not the big screen TV that makes life expensive, it’s all of the daily expenses that slowly bleed people dry. Case in point, parking at the airport. It’s an expense that most people don’t figure into their vacation or business travel. But it can certainly add up to a King’s ransom after just a few days. Here are some tips on how to save money on airport car parking.
Do the math on how much it will cost ahead of time. With many cities and towns offering public transportation and private companies that specialize in ride-share popping up all the time, it may make the most sense not to park at the airport at all. Determine the average daily cost of the parking lots and then multiply it by the amount of time you’ll be gone. If that cost is greater than the price to take other transportation, then skip parking at the airport altogether.
Rely on the kindness of friends and family to drive you to the airport. Everyone has that one friend who is always asking for a ride to the airport. The truth is people usually begrudgingly say “yes.” They may talk about what a pain you are behind your back, but they’ll do it. If they do drive you, just make sure to give them gas money or offer to return the favor next time they are going out of town.
Look for coupons for parking lots. These tend to come in the mail in little booklets or fliers. You can also find them online as many of the parking lots at the airport have official websites. These also allow you to make online reservations, which saves time and gives you the peace of mind of knowing you’ll have a spot. This is especially helpful during holiday time.
Ask about a weekly rate. When you pull into the parking lot, see if you can save money by getting a special rate for staying 7 days or more. Many parking lots offer this as an incentive. You can save up to 25 percent.
Become a frequent parker at one specific place. Just like there are discount memberships for other factions of your life, airport parking places are now offering memberships for frequent travelers. It usually costs nothing to join. The more you park, the more you save.
Park far away from the airport. This trick is helpful for the person who doesn’t mind the extra 10 minutes on both sides of their trip. Airport parking is like real estate. It’s all about location, location, location. The closer you are to the airport, the more you’ll pay. Drive a few extra blocks and save some money.
Tips & Warnings
Carpool to the airport with other members from your office. If you don’t get reimbursed for the parking expense, it’s a great way to split the cost.
The #1 Way to Get a Free Car
June 16, 2008 by Marcie · Leave a Comment
The number one way to get a Free Car
I personally used this method for years and it was hugely effective.
(Bear with me for a minute and you’ll see how this works out as a Free Car)
- Join or organize a vanpool for commuting to work.
- A third party provider can offer a complete package that includes the vehicle,
maintenance, insurance and tolls. - Vanpooling averages a 40 minute per day time-savings/reduces commute costs by 70-80%. Read more
The #2 Way to Get a Free Car
June 16, 2008 by Marcie · Leave a Comment
You’ve probably heard of Free Car programs where you can get paid $500 to $2000 for driving your own car, or get a free car, or both.
A car wrap is when a vehicle is decorated with a logo or an ad. There are over one million car wraps on the road.
Companies like to use a car wrap to advertise because even small billboards cost $3000 and an ad in a daily newspaper costs $10,000+ to reach the same number of consumers.
It costs a lot less to lease a niche vehicle to drive the same road a where single car wrap ad will be seen by 40,000 people in a day and costs only $20 a day. Read more
As Incredible As It May Seem…
June 16, 2008 by Marcie · Leave a Comment
As Incredible As It May Seem . . .
There are legitimate resources for free or low-cost cars, rides, gas, repairs and maintenance, and much, much more.
Use Freecarsandrides.com to connect with free and economical transportation alternatives and assistance.
If you:
* Commute to work by vehicle or public transportation
* Need a free 1st, 2nd or even 3rd vehicle
* Run errands
* Ferry the kids to activities
* Don’t own a car and but need a car
* Or want to be car-free
* Need to send your kid to college with a free car
* Are planning vacation travel
* Own a business or are a company HR director
* Are a senior on a fixed incomeSave hundreds of dollars a month on:
* Commute costs, gas, parking, maintenance, repairs, insurance
* Reduce commute time by up to 40 minutes each way
* Get rid of your car payment and still have wheelsAre you entitled to . . .?
* Employee reimbursement of commute/parking costs
* Free repairs-Is there a recall for your vehicle?
* Get a tax credit for using public transportation
* Or need to find a free bicycle or a free car seat for your kid
* Vacation travel gas rebatesDiscover how-to tips, dos and don’ts, insider secrets:
* Ease your stress level while you cut commute costs
* Get a free car or be paid to drive yours
* Get free gas, tolls, maintenance, insurance, repairs
* Find free car repair and online car care tools
* Donate your car-know these tips and traps
* Be car-free and yet have wheels when you need them
Does your company or business need . . .?
* To recruit the best candidates
* Low-cost alternatives to company car fleets
* Ways to boost employee morale
* To reduce tardiness
* To be a commute-friendly workplace
* To access to a larger talent pool
* Need assistance with employee custom commutes
* To facilitate a company move to a new location
* Increase employee benefits at no cost
Use these links to calculators to find:* Best money-saving commute alternatives
* Cost comparisons of car ownership by make and model
* Emissions
* Fastest/cheapest door-to-door public transit methods
* Carbon footprint
