City CarShare
Category: Car Rental [Edit]
Neighborhood: SOMA1182 Market St
Ste 300
(between 8th St & Grove St)
San Francisco, CA 94102 (415) 995-8588
18 reviews
Neighborhood: Nob Hill
"Still love this place, but some discussion w/my boyfriend has revealed that I may have given "Jasmine" the wrong name. I think she's…" read more »
73 Reviews for City CarShare
I'm deciding whether I want to stay with City Carshare.
The cars at the El cerrito Plaza are really dirty. I hope it's not like that elsewhere.
I wish they had more cars at that location because it's hard to get a reservation for the times I need the car. I also wish there were more locations in the East Bay. There are no cars in Fremont or Richmond. They also need to move into the North Bay. Get some cars in San Rafael.
I'm probably just going to buy a used car because it sucks not being able to use these cars when I need it.
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1 Previous Review: Show all »
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05/23/2008
I signed up for City Carshare. Unfortunately, I'm in the process of getting a divorce and no longer… Read more »
I can't believe it took me so long to sign up. I agonized for months and months about joining and finally took the plunge. The sweet deal that I get as a UC employee helped with the convincing. You really do just pay for what you use, especially when you consider gas and insurance is included.
Its super easy and so convenient. I love being able to go the grocery store (whichever one I want not just because its near a Muni) and loading up on everything I need...not limiting myself to what I can carry/walk home with. PLUS, I can buy all the ice cream I want because it won't melt on my way home. Yay!
I'm giving CCS one star because I believe in the concept. Too bad their customer service sucks. I have been trying to resolve an issue for months now, one that never should have happened. See, I called to get information for my employer. Months later, I receive a delinquent bill with my name listed on my employers account stating that we owe money in sharing fees. Someone at CCS merged my personal account with my employer's account and made a huge mess. At any rate, I began the quest to solve this mystery in the beginning of May. It is now mid-July and CCS couldn't be less responsive to my issue. Great service as long as nothing goes wrong...I've heard great things about ZipCar...
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For years I have griped about the car culture. Imagine if all the public and private money that's ever been put into cars, roads, tires, gasoline, oil industry infrastructure, parking garages, auto insurance etc etc etc had been put into public transportation? No doubt they'd have invented molecular transport devices by now; there would be no such things as "suburbs;" the Exxon Valdez spill never would have happened; there would be so much more grass . . . But that's not how it went down, and instead, we have an ugly and environmentally devastating asphalt jungle.
Several years ago I decided to put my money where my mouth was, purge a little hypocrisy, and get rid of my car. Now, I just get a car when I need one - once or twice a week. I no longer pay for insurance, repairs, parking, depreciation, or gasoline. By my estimates, I am saving almost $800 dollars every month.
And for all the Trader Joe's fans out there - if you have a CityCar Share, you can park it on the roof at the Masonic Ave. store so you don't have to wait in the ridiculous line to get into the parking lot.
CityCar Share has improved my life. They say every shared car takes 6 cars off the road. One of those 6 was mine, and I am happy about that.
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City Carshare has more pods in the east bay than zipcar does.
The entire process is extremely easy and convenient--the cars are immaculate and they're fully decked out with some great stereos and ipod connections.
Especially if you're renting from downtown San Francisco, the cost of parking more than makes up for the price of picking up a car from one of the city garages.
Overall a great experience!
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Snowy is waggy tailed about City CarShare even though he is not allowed in their vehicles, but then again he is an imaginary cartoon dog. Whatever.
Love, love, love the City CarShares! The application process was a breeze and the reception person at their office was friendly and very helpful. It is such a great alternative to owning a car in this city and especially in these times of madness with high gas prices, etc. Tintin & Snowy can now globe-trot around the city leaving a tiny carbon footprint. Woof!
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Unlike most rental car companies (like Hertz or Budget), you can't rent a car from City CarShare and pass it off like it's your own. There's a can't-miss-it, neon green "City CarShare" emblem tattooed across its side which would totally give you away.
I chose the Scion XD for my first ride. My roommate, her co-worker and I were in need of a Target run to pick up necessities (you know, only the essentials...like self-tanning foam).
City CarShare has tons of locations in the city to pick up your car - two were within walking distance of my apartment.
I shall be using the Toyota Tacoma for move-out day in two weeks, and then I might go with the Smartcar...just for curiosity's sake.
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When I moved to the city, I quickly discovered that the cost of owning a car here, to include the insurance, parking, and the outstanding loans, was far more of a hassle than simply selling it. And so I did, and I haven't looked back.
Still, there are times when I need a car, and City CarShare has worked great. I need a car maybe twice a month, and with the basic plan I'm only spending ~$50/month. That's a lot better than the ~$600 I was paying before (parking alone in my area is $300/mo!).
Plus, it's awesome always having that reserved spot in the garage no matter what time it is.
City Carshare is a great service providing the non-car owner an alternative to run errands or quick trips out of the city without the complications of trying to do them by foot, cab, transit, bike, or conventional car rental.
I found that it took me some time to adjust my notion of using a car to a system gauged by time and mileage. For instance, one can loose a good deal of time at the grocery. When I am paying by the hour and limited by my reservation estimate, I do not dilly-dally and it is for the better.
There was also an adjustment period to realizing that using the Carshare put an add-cost to the trips I made. Do I need to go to WholeFoods if I must pay for 2 hours of Carshare to get there? It's not worth it for a can of beans, but great if your need to get loads of goods.
For long trips City Carshare has an agreement with Enterprise that is a great deal for folks without their own car insurance.
I agree with other reviewers that CCS billing cycle remains a mystery. I have become familiar with the costs of my general trips but would appreciate regularity in the billing. Customer service has been good to above average in my experience.
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Life wouldn't b the same without city car share & now we got smart Cars......great customer service too
I have owned 200 cars over time, including a $70,000 BMW. A year ago I sold off my last car, a 4Runner. I did so with the intent of buying some type of hybrid. But over the past year I questioned owning another car because I only drive about 300 miles a year, if that.
As an owner of very fine cars [BMW, Mercedes, Jaguar] I have always been very picky about keeping my cars spotless on the outside and super clean inside. E.g. no one has ever been allowed to eat in my cars and I park way out in the boonies so not to get door dings.
On seeing somone else use CCS and raving about it, and with the above history, I signed up for a CCS "rental" [I don't think CCS or members call the cars "rentals," must not like being lumped in with Hertz or Budget.]
Bottom line first: CCS did not make me miss car ownership and I have abandoned the idea of buying another car. CCS is so easy to use it is like having my own car. CCS has it down to being a user friendly system too. The cars are an absolute hoot and woot to use, they are modern and clean; and the prices are super low in comparison to car ownership, using a cab, or renting from Hertz. It literally feels like you have a car in the garage, ready to use.
Signing up for CCS could not be easier. It's all done online. After providing your name and driver's license, they quickly process the application. The license is necessary for CCS to do a DMV check [I'm sure some people try to join CCS with their horrible driving records, such as suspended or revoked licenses.]
You also provide a credit card number so CCS can ding you for the $30 application fee; deduct the $300 refundable deposit; and to charge the card monthly for your usage and the [$10 or $20 fee [depending on what plan you get.]
That all sounds like a lot to do, but it's faster than signing up for an eBay account. And the monthly bill is simple, the monthly dues and your car usage fees. This is not much different than how your cell phone plan works , monthly plan cost and usage. However, the CCS monthly bill is far simpler to understand than a cell phone or utility bill. Bonus Tip: You can have CCS e-mail your monthly statement in advance, showing the charges that will be deducted from your credit card.
Back to procedure: after you are approved CCS mails your "welcome package" that includes a plastic fob, similar to those car alarm fobs you may have owned at one time or another.
When you get the package you are good to go. You log online with your membership number and password. You check car availability at any location where CCS cars are parked. You then reserve your car.
You show up to the location where the car is parked, swipe your fob on the sensor located on the front windshield [that unlocks the door], open the door, find the key that is on a cable, insert key, start the car, put it in gear, press on gas pedal, and drive. That's all there is to it.
I cannot express how easy this all works. I signed up about 2:00 a.m. on a Friday night and by the next Tuesday I had my fob and was test driving a car the next day. But for the delay because the DMV and CCS offices are closed on the weekend, I am sure I would have received my fob sooner [you can opt to pick up the fob at the CCS office rather than have it mailed.]
The cool thing about CCS is that there are cars located throughout the City [where I live, in San Francisco.] Cars are likely located close to where you live or near mass transit [e.g., Muni or BART.]
I am lucky. Where I live on Nob Hill there is the Crocker Garage that has three cars. A few blocks away there is St. Mary's Garage, or I can venture about five blocks away in any direction to find cars located elsewhere.
Over the past weeks I have logged on to CCS to monitor when cars are available, so to get an idea of how difficult it is to get a car at the last minute. I was pleasantly surprised to see that I can instantly get a car without having to walk more than a few blocks.
Weekends are popular with the cool cars such as the Mini Cooper and that new two seater car [forgot the name.] Weekends are also popular for the Toyota Tacoma trucks [no doubt people hauling stuff.] But even those vehicles are available with a few days notice before the weekend and during the week it appears you don't need more than 24 hrs notice to reserve the popular cars and trucks.
Currently CCS has a trial plan where you can try out CCS for three months or so, without having to pay a $300 deposit. Check that out. I did not notice the trial plan option when I signed up, but that's OK.
CCS has received rave reviews and I can see why. They have the low rates, and it's professionally run. In contrast, ZipCar is more expensive and I have seen online complaints about ZipCar.
Bonus Tip: you don't need auto insurance with CCS. Membership includes a $1 million liability policy, so you are fully covered!
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Love City Car Share! We've been members for about 15 months and even when things have gone wrong (flat tire, pod space taken by a strange non-car share vehicle, car not there when it should be) their customer service folks have been very helpful and resolved things quickly (thankfully, these incidents have been few and far between). Tons of places to pick up cars and easy-to-use website for reservations.
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My general feel towards City Carshare is positive, but when I get the bill I am always a bit surprised. If you just need a car every so often, and are not interested in purchasing one, than this is a good alternative. City Carshare is very nice to have around, though I have to say it costs more per use than I was expecting. Granted, $20 for a trip to TJ's is cheaper than owning a vehicle, but the bus is practically free.
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Looked like a good idea. Have no car. Was going to join. Then saw CarShare's rates, fees and deposit. For comparison, I can (and do) rent a small car from Hertz in SF for $14/day + sales tax + $3fee + gas. Unlimited mileage. Less than half CarShare daily rates. Hourly CS is even more expensive.
CS rates for 4 hours gets me a full day from Hertz. Coupons and AAA membership makes Hertz even cheaper. If they can do it, why can't this bunch?
Need to haul stuff or move the pad? U-Haul has big vans for $20/day.
And how come CarShare is lauded as environmental heroes, while other (and cheaper) car rental companies are not? Seems they both reduce the need for vehicle ownership....only the commercial ones do it cheaper.
Now, wouldn't it be the real deal if a non-profit company actually could facilitate and arrange for 2 or 3 or 4 people in a each neighborhood to share the cost, ownership and and use of a car parked there. More likely to clean and care for it if you knew the other owners, too.
That would make more sense than the mile walk from my home to the nearest City CarShare vehicle.
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Ever since Spanky got me hooked up with City Carshare, I've been happy: happy for the convenience of grabbing a car when I need to venture out of my hidey-hole, happy for being part of a community organization that keeps growing stronger, happy for paying less each month for my own total mobile adventurisms than the cost of my friends' auto insurance. I have pods galore near my house. I have many cars to choose from. Tired of driving a Corolla? Go grab yerself a Mini! Need to haul some furniture? Go check out the pickup truck! Does the bike fit in the back of the Scion? Sho' nuff!
'Nuff said. Sure, I can quibble on details, but overall, City Carshare is a great and good thing. No longer dependent on the whims of Muni or the beneficence of friends with wheels, I am now a Carshare evangelist.
Join us. Drink the kool-aid. Enjoy the ride.
Four fancy white-walled stars!
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If you are thinking about giving up your car, or forestalling the need to buy a second car for a household, City Carshare is the way to go.
I have been carless for almost three years now and it would not have been so easy if it wasn't for City Carshare. Plus, they paved the way for Zipcar and Flexcar (RIP).
Benefits:
*Reducing the need for more cars in a city where there are way more cars than parking spaces
*Supporting a locally-owned non-profit organization that gives back to our local community
*Paying one inclusive rate for most cars, unlike another for-profit carsharing company where you have to a premium to use a hybrid Prius or Civic (I'm looking at you, Zipcar!)
*Charging separately for mileage - yes, I know it is a pain but it encourages users to link their destinations. I know I do...
*Great Customer Service - I have never had a problem getting a charge corrected or contacting the 24-hour line, even when I am running late.
Bottom Line - Go Green, Go Local, Go City Carshare!
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For my occasional needs to drive and those emergency "my drunk friend needs a ride and she needs it now!" times, City CarShare has been a tried and true service. Plus, I can always proudly say I "own" a fleet of vehicles. I've helped many a pal move/haul/pick-up and transport stuff (trucks are part of my fleet) and my infrequent needs to get a massive amount of food and thangs have always been successful thanks to CCS. What's more, the member services folks I've talked to have always been super nice and helpful, I never have to worry about car maintenance, there's a feeling of community (some peeps like to share their tunes/cds) and pods are always at convenient locations.
Was a member of FlexCar before (the worst!) and interacted with ZipCar when they merged (slightly better...slightly).
CityCarShare is a dream to work with - professional, friendly, and the other members are responsible. If you're not, you get the boot! Quality control.
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I really didn't want to cancel my account... But I needed a car at home... I LOVED City CarShare! They made it super easy to reserve a car and everything is taken care of. Everything related to money on their services is totally reasonable. If they had pods in South San Francisco, I may not have cancelled my account. Heck, it may be even worth keeping the account so I can check-out the convertible Mini!
BUT, I got a flat with the truck I had of theirs and called for help. I was sick and really in no condition to change the tire that day. I called and called, left messages.. No one returned my call. Except the first time they said someone would be out there to help. No one showed.
That was my first experience with City CarShare. After that, they rocked! Great newsletter, customer service. I think they have their act together now.
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Pros:
-Good insurance coverage
-Gas included
-Good selection of cars
-Live online booking system
-Abundance of cars in my neighborhood
-24 hour live operator a telephone call away in case of emergency
-$10 per month, $5 per hour and discounted rates from midnight to 8 AM, $0.40 per mile
-Designated parking spot and if someone parks there you can tow their ass!!!
Cons:
-People that share the car don't necessarily fill up the tank--Scion users at St. Mary's Garage (you know who you are), F&CKING FILL UP THE TANK!!!! I'm tired of filling up the tank every time I use the car
-People leave random crap in the car! Items I've discovered in the car include: moldy piece of cracker, garbage can, clothes, empty cups...
-The card that they give you to fill up the tank is a piece of shit. Not all gas stations accept it and you burn so much time driving around town looking for a station that will accept the stupid card.
All in all, I'm thankful for the City Carshare and despite sharing cars with inconsiderate people at times I will continue using this service.
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Yaay for not owning a car! I've only had to use City CarShare a couple times, but I love the fact that they're a non-profit and it's very convenient.
And, I am happy about the (new?) extended trip options.
Everything is included: gas, insurance, etc. And it's easy to make reservations online. It just requires a little bit of planning on your part.
You know you want to go carless.
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Love City Carshare! That is all!
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Hurrah for city carshare. I refuse to own a car, and carshare has saved my ass many times, whether it's grocery shopping, visiting the fam in the east bay, picking up friends at the airport, going to doctor's appointments, or running other various errands. It's so easy to use, and the people who work there are always really friendly and helpful if there are ever any issues. The cars are everywhere and continue to multiply, so it's usually no problem to find a car nearby. I know that zipcar is growing around here too, and I haven't done any sort of exhaustive comparison (or really any comparison at all - I've been a carshare girl since before zipcar came around), but it's nice to support a local nonprofit, so I won't be ditching carshare any time soon. Thank you carshare for making my life so easy!
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I love CityCarShare! It's way cheaper than owning my own car, way easier than finding parking in San Francisco, and I can go to CostCo for those amazingly huge quantities of stuff that I really don't need. But back to CityCarShare - I've been a member for about a year now, and I love it. It's easy to do, there are lots of cars around, and they're so friendly.
While generally reliable, I have a few beefs.
I hate the billing- you don't know how much you will be charged until a mysterious invoice appears- then you have no idea when the charge will go thru... and neither does anyone at the office.
Some staffers have been less than helpful and would rather give a cute smart ass answer than explain to you in plain English how billing works.
Brand new Prius that had a window roll down and not roll up! when I was on the way to grocery shop.. and the rep thought I should just go on my way with the window down. Sorry Charlie, but when you got $300 of my hard earned dough at your disposal to charge me at will I am NOT leaving a car in a compromised position. Hence, I got no groceries.
Why does the reservation system not let you search by car type?
I too have sent suggestions, with no response. I had zipcar before but I like these guys as non profit (which I know has to do with some of the issue (ie no money for fancies) so I won't cancel and I recommend often.
But it can be a headache and like everything in this modern life, if you are not diligent in reviewing bills, rules, and your bank account you will be sorry.
Oh, and whoever keeps putting their dogs in the cars, please stop. It's not cool that I have to tattle on you so I won't get charged.
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I first heard of City Car Share while doing research for the UC Berkeley. It was brand new at the time, but I got the chance to visit all the pods.
I was sick of getting parking tickets in SF and couldn't afford to buy a parking spot, so I ditched the car and signed up for the Car Share free trial. I'm still in the second month of the trial and it's worked out great.
I used the truck to move my friend out of her house and pick myself up a new desk. I use the prius hybrid whenever i can to pick people up from the airport and do all the other things that cars are nice for.
taking an all day trip across a bridge somewhere will run you about $45 which happens to be the same as an SF parking ticket. just a trip to rainbow grocery or trader joes is more like $5-10--same or less than a cab.
do the free trial if you can (you have to put down $30, but they give you $30 of driving credit and don't have to put down a big deposit and pay dues).
most of the time you get stuck with a scion xb, and i'm not a big fan of those, and the mini coopers cost extra. i haven't tried the other car sharing services, but carshare and I go way back, they are a local non-profit, and the rates (esp on free trial!) are more than reasonable.
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I love having city car share. it's nice to be able to grab a vehicle from so many different places around the city (and berkeley/oakland). I've been a member for a little over a year, can't count the number of times i've used it. I also can't count how much owning a car in the city would cost me (and how miserable it would make life). I LOVE not having a car. the truth is sometimes i cheat, but that's o.k..cause i've got to go to mt. tam sometimes right? some one has got to fill those empty parking spaces in the ocean end of the city right? In all of my trips i've seldom had problems and when i did once (the fob wouldn't work on this car for some reason) i called the emergency line and they were very quick and helpful.. recommended. i just wish they had more prius's out here in the richmond. i was all about them when i lived downtown. pretty much all the cars are nice though (except the older, boxy scions. talk about a cardboard box on wheels!)
I LOOOOOVE Them!!
They let me live in a city where I can use public transportation as my regular preferred mode of existence & still have a car for those rare occurrences I need one [grocery shopping friend from multiple time zone flight, craving for Popeyes, etc].
After doing some research they were EASILY the best car sharing in the city:
1) San Francisco is pretty small, so cheaper the hours are it isn't that big a deal to pay for mile usage. Plus the car gets cheaper during off peak hours
2) They're staff is really helpful. I've had issues, called it in & they've been right on it.
3)They're homegrown! They are based here in the Bay Area & no where else. Where is your City Pride?
4) They're a non profit. Your money isn't going to make someone else richer!
5) The cars are all pretty decent on the environment. I think all the cars for the most part get good mileage, so even if you drove as much as you used to with your old car, you would pollute less with one of their vehicles. None of this SUV bullshit.
I HEART you City Car Share!!
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I've used City CarShare for years n years, and have been super-happy with it from day one. "It" includes the little green bugs I'd drive around when I first joined, the "driving" cds some fellow carsharers would leave in the console for everyone to enjoy, the availability of the Tacoma Truck when I got a "new" sofa, the fob on my key that opens the doors to Rainbow & Trader Joes despite my tyrannical schedule, not paying separately for gasoline or insurance (!) or monthly parking, and the continual addition of new "pods", --oh, and the groovy CarShare talk.
Back in the day, I did not mind (almost) at all that the closest pod--the only one in the Richmond at the time--was 21 blocks from my house. We --yes, we get to use the "Royal WE" as carsharers-- have over 100 pods located in so many neighborhoods around SF & across the bay, and that now includes 5 in the Richmond. That now includes one within 5 easy blocks from my--er, our-- house.
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I've been using city carshare since 2000 and find it to be a great alternative to owning a car in San Francisco. Whether you are interested in ecological concerns or your own pocketbook this saves you money on gas, insurance, tickets, or even replacing the odd broken windows when some idiot crackhead (via walnut creek or sunnyvale) decides she/he needs that quarter on your backseat.
If you've ever borrowed a bike in Amsterdam then this system is a no-brainer. Combined with some use of public transportation it is ingenious.
For the most part I am happy I did it. After being with them this many years though their are a couple minor drawbacks:
The availability of the hybrid fleet is so-so and the level of activism for getting alternative fuel vehicles is very slow going. For example I don't understand why City Carshare doesn't lobby city hall to allow free parking for City Carshare vehicles. This makes sense since it cuts down on the ratio of cars to people and potentially could increase membership if people think they can park for free. Also there are occasions when a fellow member is late returning their car. This doesn't happen often but it did happen to me once.
The cars are definitely short on style - I imagine some conspiracy theorist has formulated the opinion that car companies don't build sexy hybrid cars to embarass people from buying them. They do have a couple mini's here and there but they are more expensive.
Overall these do not factor too much into the benefits gained by using this system but one can always hope for more.
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I just joined City CarShare this week - so most likely I'll have an update later down the road. There are 3 car share companies in SF - CityShare, Zip and Flex - which is pretty amazing and not to mention a bit overwhelming when deciding which to use! I'm anal and have done my research so you don't have to. I chose City CarShare for several reasons --- allow me to walk you thru the pros and cons.
Pros -
A) They have the best insurance policy! All 3 car share companies include insurance in the per hour cost but upon doing some digging I found out that Zip and Flex ONLY cover up to $5,000 in damage (the minimum allowed in CA). CarShare, like its two competitors, has a $500 deductible but will cover up to a million dollars in damages (liability, uninsured motorist and physical damage).
B) It's the only non-profit car share company so the feel good factor is high.
C) They give you a 15 minute grace period when returning the car. Zip Car (not sure about Flex) has a policy that if you return the car even 1 minute late you get charged $50. I understand that the cars are shared and it's important to return on time but that amount seems a bit excessive to me.
D) Hourly rates are half of what Zip and Flex charge.
Cons -
A) The pod closest to my house only has Scions (pronounced Sci - ons, I made the mistake of telling my Dad that I was in a Scone. Wonder how long it will take before I live that one down.) The car is ok - it's clean and has a CD player but honestly I felt a little like I was driving the short bus. It was dark out but I swear the back windows were tinted darker than the front ones.
B) There is a $300 deposit but it is fully refundable and a $10 monthly fee. (Flex and Zip have no deposit.) If you have a roommate/family member join City CarShare at any time you can split the deposit and monthly fee.
C) You are charged 44 cents per mile so CityCar isn't ideal for roadtrips. (They do offer discounts through Enterprise but I am unsure how much of a discount. I'll update when I use it.)
If you're interested in joining PM me. You'll get $20 in free driving (and so will I).
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--Great--
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* The employees I've dealt with - almost all excellent
* Some of the other CCS users do cool things like leaving valentine's day candy for the next user, leaving CDs behind for the next user, and yuppie-parking the car so that it's easier for the next person to get started.
* City CarShare exists to reduce individual car ownership, as opposed to other entities which exist solely to provide financial returns to their investors
* I {heart} driving the Prius. The mileage is moderately better than non-hybrids - I usually get about 50mpg in a CCS Prius vs. 30mpg in my wife's Civic - and the cool factor of the Prius is fantastic. As a very noise-sensitive person, I love how quiet the car is. As a techno-geek, the tech "under the hood" (and under the back seat) scores big points with me, as does the well-designed multi-function touch-screen display. Some of the newer Priuses have rear-view backup cameras, which is pretty handy. The safety ratings of the Prius is impressive, too. And it sure doesn't hurt my image with my clients when I show up in one of those vehicles.
* I don't have to interact with a salesweasel before getting in the car and going. I just reserve the car via the web or phone, and that's it.
* Pricing includes gas, excellent insurance, use of the car, etc.
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--Good--
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* Pricing is very well-suited to local trips.
* This arrangement makes it easy for me to document my business-related travel as a business expense.
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--Needs improvement--
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* Invoices need more detail. I need to see hours, miles, taxes, and any other billing ingredients all spelled out.
* The reservation web site doesn't work on my mobile phone. (Tried both the Treo and a Windows Mobile device.)
* The closest "pod" (Piedmont Ave) only has a single Scion - a non-hybrid. The next-closest "pod" (MacArthur BART) is about 14 blocks away. So, I often end up driving my unreliable, inefficient van (since I'm usually transporting equipment) to MacArthur BART to pick up a reliable, efficient CCS Prius hybrid. It'd be nice if the Piedmont Ave pod had a hybrid or two.
* The service is very popular, which means I often have to go a fair distance (e.g. Ashby BART) to pick up an available Prius.
* Pricing doesn't include bridge toll, and the cars don't have the special stickers for hybrids that let you use carpool lanes.
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---Sucks---
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* Pricing is ill-suited to much of the driving that I need to do.
* I emailed to ask if there were volunteer opportunities - no response. I called to suggest expansion to Davis, California - no response. It's fine to tell me "no", but at least respond!
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Update as of November 2007:
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---More suckage---
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* This not-responding-to-emails thing has continued. Use Request Tracker or something, for duck's sake.
* They *require* you to be on their email list if you're a member. They won't take you off unless you cancel your membership. So, I did. Sorry, City CarShare, but all intercourse - written and otherwise - must be consensual.
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---Summary---
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City CarShare was great, until they played the We-get-to-spam-you-no-matter-what-you-say game. I run email servers, and this is a hot button for me.
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I've been a member for a few years, and I love it. If there are cars (pods) near where you live or work, and you don't own a car, it's a no-brainer. I agree with other reviewers that it's a better deal than Zipcar and Flexcar, except for long (50+ mile, 8+ hour) trips, and even that will change as Citycarshare starts a new rate system in November.
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This is a really great service. I love their web and phone-based reservation system. It is so easy to use. And there are pods all over the city. I thought it was pretty good when the closest pod was five blocks away with another one six blocks away, but then they went and put one in just two blocks away. Rock on!
I would give them five stars but I don't like that there are no good rates for long trips. Otherwise you wouldn't have to deal with the bigger car rental places at all.
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I'm still fairly new to City Car Share, but I am totally in love with the whole concept. I'm in South Beach and do wish we had some more convenient pods, but I can always maneuver around the downtown locations. I am a firm believer in public transportation (even hold my tongue about the T Line), but this is the perfect answer when you really need a car. Booking couldn't be easier; as a matter of fact, the whole process is a piece of cake and I can still keep my holier than thou attitude about not driving and saving the environment. Like I say, I'm still new, but so far the honeymoon is going well. If you are with a large company, be sure to find out about any perks. I've been with UCSF for nearly 2 years and paid no attention to the notices--we get it for 25 bucks a year. Sorry, you can't beat it!
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We've been with City CarShare for about two and a half years, and it's made such a difference in our lives. There's a big pod less than two blocks away, and if there aren't any cars available there we can head to a couple other pods that are in walking distance of home. I've found that if we plan a day or two ahead of the weekends (prime time at the Davies pod), we can usually get a car when we want it.
Rather than dragging bags up the hill to get home from Safeway, we can shop at Trader Joe's more regularly (and we don't have to limit ourselves to only the TJ's bags we can carry on the bus!). We're actually saving money by buying better food that's often less expensive, plus we get to cook and eat yummy TJ's goodies!
I've never owned a car in any city and have always taken public transport. But I'll tell you, there is just nothing like walking out of night class at CCSF at 10pm when it's raining and 45 degrees, knowing that instead of having to stand outside waiting for the bus late at night you can get in your City CarShare car and be home in 15 minutes. It's also lovely to drive home from a massage or a haircut instead of having to wait for a bus and then a train. All the insurance and gas are paid for, and our monthly charges are about equal to what we'd spend on taxis from places like TJ's. There are also good discounts at Enterprise and City Rent-a-Car when we have to rent for a full day or weekend.
The only downsides to car sharing are *not* related to City CarShare specifically...they're related to a few users who lack consideration for other members. Those are the people who leave the car dirty, not much gas in the tank, a cranked-up stereo, or break the rules of the program by not returning the car on time or filling up when required.
Overall I think people who subscribe to car sharing really dig the idea that they're a part of something positive and productive in their community and I'm happy to participate--there are so many good sides to it! I know that every time I see someone else who is driving a City CarShare, we smile at each other. And you won't be feeling that on Muni. :)
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I've used City CaShare for about 6 months now, and overall I'm really happy I chose this company over the other ones. Living in Nopa, there aren't TOO many that are super close, and it seems like the cars at Masonic and Fulton are taken a lot of the time if you try to book closer to your start time. If I book at least two days ahead, they're always there, though.
They need more trucks, and a few more hybrids! BUT - overall, very satisfied.
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