Zipcar San Francisco Lets Nonprofit Workers Drive Free

To help Bay Area nonprofits weather a significant slump in donations, Zipcar, a national car-sharing network with 250,000 members, has begun letting employees of local charities drive its cars for free, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Although Zipcar has yet to turn a profit after nearly a decade in existence, the company is starting to make money and position itself as a creative social entrepreneurial force in cities with a high “parking-hassle” quotient. In the past year, Zipcar San Francisco has waived fees averaging $70 per day for workers at nonprofits, including the 826 Valencia writing center, Meals on Wheels, and Visual Aid, an arts group that benefits the HIV/AIDS community. In March, Zipcar will lend ten trucks to Friends of the Urban Forest, which will use them to plant trees in city parks and residential neighborhoods.

Andrea Jones, executive director of arts education nonprofit the Imagine Bus Project, said her group is saving $300 a month using Zipcar since it no longer has to pay mileage reimbursements, gasoline, and insurance. “This year with the economy, we especially feel like we are hanging on by the skin of our teeth,” Jones said, “so every little bit we can cut back on is a godsend.”

According to Zipcar San Francisco general manager Michael Uribe, Bay Area Zipcar members, who can use a fleet of seven hundred cars from nearly two hundred locations, have been responsive to the company’s pro bono work because the culture of car-sharing tends to attract people who are concerned with the environment and use online social networks to solve problems. Other cities may soon follow.

“I’ve gotten a few calls from other cities wanting to replicate what we do, from Chicago and Portland,” said Zipcar San Francisco regional marketing manager Austin Marshburn, “so hopefully it will spread across the country.”

May, Meredith. “S.F. Zipcar Lets Charity Workers Drive Free.” San Francisco Chronicle 2/24/09.

Source: PND