Timed Travel Ever been to a city with those loaner bicycles? What if a company rented automobiles that way?
Opinions expressed by BIZ Experiences contributors are their own.
What: Rent cars by thehour
Who: Robin Chase ofZipcar
Where: Cambridge,Massachusetts
When: Started in 2000
Wallet: Projected $1.5 millionsales for 2001
A man looks around a parking lot, spots a green Volkswagen Bug,walks up to it and magically unlocks the door by placing a specialcard on the windshield. He slips in, and off he goes.
A high-tech car thief? No, just a Zipcar customer.
Robin Chase, 42, co-founded the car-sharing company in January2000 and rolled out its unique member-based service six monthslater. Since then, the company's taken the Boston area bystorm. It's no wonder: Members can use their rented cars for aslong as they want-even if it's just an hour-as long as theyreturn them to designated spots by the time indicated on theirreservations. They can charge gas on their handy gas card (billeddirectly to Zipcar) and don't have to worry about insurance(it's taken care of with a refundable insurance securitydeposit).
"The only real criteria [for a potentially successfulmarket] is that customers live in a densely populated area anddon't need a car every day," Chase says.
Customers pay a $25 application fee and a $75 annual fee tobecome members. Once they're signed up, rates are $4.50 an hourand 40 cents a mile to use cars from a fleet that consists ofVolkswagen Beetles, Golf Hatchbacks, Jettas and Passat Wagons.
Members can reserve the vehicles of their choice online as muchas two months in advance. The most frequent time users reserve carsfor is two to four hours. Zipcar charges all fees to themember's
credit card at the end of each month.
The company's fan base is growing every day-600 members and35 cars so far-and, at press time, Chase planned to open Zipcar inWashington, DC, by late spring.
Simply Ducky
What: Ducks with famousfaces
Who: Craig Wolfe ofCelebriducks
Where: San Rafael,California
When: Started in 1998
Wallet: Projected $1 millionsales for 2001
Imagine swimming with Betty Boop, James Brown or the ThreeStooges. Now bathers finally can, with Celebriducks, which sells a lineof collectible rubber ducks resembling some of history's mostfamous faces.
For Craig Wolfe, 48, the company's president and CEO, whatbegan as an "amusing idea" in 1998 has become a veryprofitable company that had sales of $500,000 in 2000, and Wolfeprojects it will double that return for 2001.
With a line of 21 ducks (all designed by his daughter, Rebecca,27), Wolfe takes a lot of pride in the careful detail and artistrythat goes into each of the ducks, which retail for $9.99 on his Website as well as in specialty gift stores and catalogs.
No plans for a Pokèmon duck anytime soon, though;Celebriducks sticks with only classic characters-look for Ludwigvan Beethoven, Carmen Miranda and Dracula as future offerings.
"The rubber duck's an American icon," Wolfe says."We're just taking that idea and tweaking it."
Contact Source
- Zipcar, info@zipcar.com, www.zipcar.com
