I logged on, reserved a Mazda 3, named "Merlin," at 28th and J. At my reservation time I held my zip-card over the card reader and unlocked the doors.
I had an appointment at 4:00 p.m. about 20 minutes away, so I picked up the car at 3:30. I drove over to my appointment, enjoying the AC and the stereo. It was a fun drive.
I get to my appointment and my student's mom is running out the door to work. She assures me my student will be dropped off by her cousin in no time and her boyfriend will home soon as well (I'm not a babysitter, there always needs to be a parental unit around when I'm tutoring). So I wait and wait and 4:15 rolls around. This means I've been stood-up and I'm free to go.
So I get back in my Zipcar and realize --- I have not reason to have this car for another two hours! I call Zipcar and they inform me once the reservation is made you have to pay for it. Great!
I'm wracking my brain trying to think of some large purchase I need to make or some errand I need to run... nothing comes to mind. I head over to Cost Plus World Market to price out patio furniture. Nothing strikes my fancy.
So then I go to Target and buy some tiny hooks for my closet (to hang my necklaces on) and Milanos cookies... I really didn't need a car for those purchases.
I returned the car 15 minutes early and went home a little annoyed at the whole situation.
My wheels!
This is the fourth time this one student has stood me up - so I informed my employer I would no longer be providing services for this student and now the only other student I'm tutoring is within biking distance - meaning I can reserve Zipcar use for fun things or running errands and picking up large objects.I think if one can eliminate all regular car trips and use the Zipcar on only special occasions - this is a very doable and economical transportation solution. We'll see how the next couple weeks work for me. Today I have to bike out to Arden and Del Paso. Should be fun!
If you want to join zipcar use the link before to get $25 in driving credit!