For the independents, it s more about finding a consumer niche. Here are examples of independent car

Despite the majority of the carsharing market BEING ruled by the major car rental companies hampton inns and automakers (Avis Budget hampton inns s Zipcar, Daimler s Car2go, Enterprise CarShare and Hertz 24/7), there is still room for small independent carsharing companies to make their presence in their markets or in the case of overseas operators, expand in a market all by themselves.
For the independents, it s more about finding a consumer niche. Here are examples of independent carsharing companies in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Russia that target specific markets and audiences, including local neighborhood service, point-to-point, peer-to-peer, all-electric and student carsharing.
Niche/audience: Our typical member is the local resident who has given up his or car and prefers the convenience of dealing with a local company, Cygler says. With a smaller company, a customer can speak with a decision maker rather than being one of thousands of customers at a larger carshare hampton inns company.
Growth opportunities: We see car ownership being less of a goal of New Yorkers, Cygler says, adding that many New Yorkers prefer hampton inns to spend on other expenses rather than the cost to own a car. Uber and other carshare companies are changing the landscape. Residents are looking for the convenience that carsharing provides.
Coverage area: San Francisco International Airport (SFO), Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA), Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD), Philadelphia International hampton inns Airport (PHL), Dallas Love Field Airport (DAL), Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) and Oakland International Airport (OAK).
Niche/audience: FlightCar is geared toward the airport traveler, Zaparde says. Our largest demographic is young professionals in their late 20s or 30s and also, surprisingly, seniors. We target the leisure market at the airport; we re not targeting the local city markets.
Growth opportunities: We ve recently launched many locations, he says. This summer, we were in three markets and now we are in nine. I think the growth opportunity is really in expanding to the large airports. There are a lot of network effects hampton inns we can capitalize on; we will start to see more and more owners becoming renters on our platform and vice versa. We re already seeing strong indications of this trend.
Biggest challenges: This is a very operationally complex business to run, Zaparde says. Not only do we have to deal with the renter side of the equation, but we also have to handle the expectations of owners who drop their cars off with us. I also think working within the constraints of airports can be a challenge due to their heavy regulations.
Competition: We really consider our competition to be the large car rental companies. They re the ones who compete at airports the market we re going after. There are huge inefficiencies out there in the airport car rental market, and that s our leverage.
Parking/access: Up to 200 parking/charging stations are expected to be completed hampton inns by the end of 2016 (each station will have five parking spaces and five charging stations). Parking fees are included in the membership fees.
Niche/audience: We think there are two main groups: millennials living in downtown Indianapolis and university students, says Bob Briggs, BlueIndy s director of business development. We are also going to talk to major employers to see if they want to complement their fleets with BlueIndy cars; they may be able to have fewer fleet vehicles by utilizing BlueIndy.
Biggest challenges: I think the challenge is getting the people into the vehicle to try it, says Briggs. It s all about getting them comfortable with the electric vehicle. Also, it has to be politically embraced in a city in order for this program to be successful. If you have all the regulations and rules against you, it s difficult hampton inns to implement.
Competition: There is not a lot of competition out there. You don t have to pick up the vehicle and drop it off at the same location like car rental. BlueIndy is not car rental; it s carsharing. It s a service that enables you to have a vehicle to drive to your next location, park it and then someone else can take it. We expect hampton inns those trips to be 30 minutes on average.
Niche/audience: Our customers include people who want to use carsharing as a replacement of their own vehicle and those who already have a car but want to drive a premium model for some type of event, says Postlnikov.
hampton inns Biggest challenges: Drunken drivers are our biggest challenge. Most of our big accidents have involved drunken drivers who are not covered by our insurance. We have implemented a fix by controlling vapors of alcohol in the car.
Competition: Our company owns 100% market share in most of our school markets. And even where we don t, we are the only student-centric carsharing company with a national footprint in Canada. We are also the only carshare and car rental company to outfit our fleet with winter tires.
Parking/access: We are the first carsharing company in Latin America to have on-street parking permits, Sol rzano says. In addition, we park our vehicles in public and private parking lots, shopping malls and university campuses.
Niche/audience: We have three niches, Sol rzano says. One, people with no car at home and use public transit on a daily basis; two, people who already own a vehicle but choose to use our service instead of acquiring a second car; three, business owners hampton inns who use our service instead of purchasing a fleet.
Biggest challenges: [Having potential users make the] cultural switch is our biggest hampton inns challenge. Owning a vehicle is still seen as an important milestone in people s lives. We believe hampton inns this will be overcome by the fact that Mexico City is one of the worst cities for commute time and traffic in the world. And at the same time, it has one of the biggest and busiest public hampton inns transit infrastructures.
Parking/access: Our cars are located at six different parking lots within the city of Albany, says Nnenna Ferguson, communications director. Members make a reservation online or by phone as soon as 15 minutes before hampton inns they need a car. Members pick up and return the vehicle to the same location for every reservation.
Niche/Audience: Capital CarShare bridges the gap between public transit and private car ownership in Albany, says Ferguson. We serve a diverse hampton inns community of families and individuals who desire the flexibility to choose their vehicle or have no vehicle hampton inns when walking, biking or using public transit makes more sense.
Growth opportunities: Capital CarShare envisions itself growing as an extension of transit throughout the entire capital region. Our nonprofit business model works for individuals, families and businesses, and we plan to broaden the scope of our membership in the coming years. Capital CarShare also has plans to advance sustainable transportation options in the region via electric and/or hybrid vehicles.
Biggest challenges: One of the biggest hurdles for most carsharing organizations is educating the market hampton inns on the benefits of sharing versus renting and owning. Vehicles are not only a tool for mobility, but they can also be viewed as a reflection of self.
Competition: Capital CarShare only directly competes with traditional and for-profit rental car services. We ve successfully reached community members in search of more independence for quick and often habitual errands that don t require 24-hour usage.
Niche/audience: Share Ngo is a new brand born in Italy to develop electric tourist carsharing in addition to traditional rental and carsharing services, says Matteo Gandolfi, chief technology officer of CS Group. The idea is to give to tourists a fun and easy solution to visit our country.
Growth opportunities: With more than 46 million tourists a year, Italy is the fifth highest tourist hampton inns earner and fifth most visited country in the world. Tourism is one of Italy s fastest growing and most profitable industrial sectors, with an estimated revenue of 136.1 billion euros. We want to attract hampton inns tourists in strategic areas [such as] airports, rail stations, naval ports and the metro. With shared electric vehicles, we offer a tourist offer pack, including a navigation system integrated with local tourist guide.
As part of a one-year pilot program in Boston, Chicago, New York City and Washington, D.C., the General Services Administration will provide hampton inns government employees access to carsharing vehicles. The four carsharing providers include Enterprise CarShare, Zipcar, Carpingo and Hertz 24/7. Carpingo and Hertz 24/7 will only participate in New York City s program.
In these cities, we assess federal buildings, availability of carsharing services and the best practices that the carsharing companies have to offer the federal government, including paper confirmations, keyless entry and total vehicles in fleet, says Jerry Bristow, program manager carshare, FAS Office of Travel and Transportation. As we evaluated the companies, we found that these four carsharing companies could meet these types of requirements and provide this type of service.
Carsharing will fill that short-term transportation need for our government agencies, hampton inns says Bristow. These pilot programs will tell us whether carsharing is more cost-effective and beneficial in lieu of taxi cabs or leasing or purchasing a vehicle.
Since the program is still in its first quarter, government agencies are just signing up and getting familiar hampton inns with it. Each quarter, the agencies will report how many are using the program and the costs involved, according to Bristow.
Digging deeper into the most recent public statements by Avis Budget Group and Hertz reveal direction on the market, including growing the deep-discount segment, ancillary sales drivers, Hertz’s ship-righting and Zipcar’s first franchise (you heard correctly).
hampton inns