Enterprise considers car sharing program

Car sharing is an emerging, non-traditional and increasingly trendy wing of the vehicle rental industry, and while in the United States this sector is still dominated by specialist companies, such as Zipcar, several car rental giants are now trying to see if they might be able to successfully enter this growing niche market. Enterprise appears to be the most recent car rental company to entertain such ideas. If all goes according to plan, Enterprise’s car sharing subsidiary will be called WeCar, and will enter into direct competition with Zipcar on several US college campuses. The program actually already got off the ground a few weeks ago (albeit on a very limited scale) at Washington University, in St. Louis. WeCar, however, is expected to make a debut at other locations in this city later in the month. The firm will use Toyota Prius Hybrid vehicles for its car-sharing fleet and is expected to focus its business venture on those who travel to work using public transport, rather than their own vehicle. WeCar is expected to offer this section of the population a more comfortable ride, than the often crowded public transit system many commuters must endure.

Whether WeCar will be successful in competing with Zipcar remains to be seen. What is certain, however, is that inexpensive hourly car rentals (which are at the heart of the car sharing philosophy) are rapidly growing in popularity among Americans who have decided not to keep a personal car for financial reasons, or out of concern for the environment. In most cases, these cars cost under $10 per hour, and this fee includes insurance coverage, as well as fuel. It is, however, necessary to register with the car sharing company in advance in order to take advantage of this economical and trendy form of transport.

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