Posts Tagged ‘Car club’

Zipcar’s Scott Griffiths is CEO of Year

Tuesday, November 9th, 2010

Corporate Responsibility magazine in the US named Scott Griffiths, the CEO and Chair of Zipcar as CEO of the Year in the ‘social entrepreneur’ category.

On receiving the award in Chicago, Scott said,  “I am humbled by this recognition from CR Magazine. The success of the Zipcar brand clearly demonstrates how a business can ‘do well by doing good.’ Our definition of sustainability is ‘the most efficient use of resources.’ Since each Zipcar removes 15 personally owned vehicles from the road, we help reduce congestion, ease parking demands and lower a community’s overall carbon footprint. I am proud to lead a company that is by definition sustainable,” said Scott Griffith, Chairman and CEO of Zipcar. “I am honored to accept this award on behalf of our 500,000 passionate members who we call Zipsters. Zipsters share our vision of a future where car sharing members outnumber car owners in major cities around the globe.”

Cityhop, is NZ’s own version of zipcar. Like Zipcar, members have access to cars via a smart card. They become members of a car share club and can use cars anywhere in Auckland or Wellington city once they have booked on line and the cars are programmed.

Scott has been CEO since 2003 and has steered Zipcar to be the world’s biggest car share company. In 2007 they merged with Flexcar not long after cityhop launched into Auckland. This year they acquired Streetcar, the UK’s fastest growing car club so they could expand car share throughout the United Kingdom.

Zipcar has helped change urban life by providing instant affordable mobility in 14 major metropolitan areas, 220 college campuses in the United States, United Kingdom and Canda.

If you don’t think you need a car think about joining a car club, find out more about cityhop.

You don’t need to own a car if you live in city

Wednesday, September 1st, 2010

If you live in a city then you don’t need to own a car. So said, William Clay Ford Junior. His great grandfather invented the Model T but today the the famour Ford saying is ‘any colour you like as long as its green’!

Cityhop, NZ’s first car club, co-founder Victoria Carter says, “He’s right, and we can’t tell enough people, you really don’t need a car if you drive less than 12,000 km (7,500 miles) a year and you don’t need a car for work every day. Why? Because  in Auckland and Wellington city, you can use a car by the hour from a car park nearby. Car sharing  is saving people  thousands of dollars a year, giving them greater mobility – and is also reducing pollution.”

Ford recently was interviewed in the Guardian about his green values. He doesn’t want any of his children to apologise for working for the Ford Motor Company, in fact he wants the opposite.

Ford is now the only car maker to audit its environmental performance. He pulled the company out of the Global Climate coalition and has lobbied for higher petrol taxes.  He has taken up  environmental groups’challenge to follow BP’s John Browne in accepting climate change is a reality.

He doggedly claims that what is good for the planet is good for Ford. He points to the ISO 14001 audits, that are now saving millions of dollars in energy, waste, materials and waste handling costs.

What interests, Victoria, is that Ford recognises that the notion of car ownership is antiquated. Whereas Ford’s  great grandfather wanted everyone to have their own car his great grandson appreciates that  if you live in the city you don’t need to own. That  the future for Ford is making cars available to motorists as and when they need access to transport.

Council doubles car park spaces

Tuesday, August 24th, 2010

Cityhop was delighted to read in the Evening Standard that Boris Johnson, Mayor of London gets car share.

It’s local body elections and how many of those standing for the Auckland Council understand the transport issues facing Auckland let alone some solutions for solving them?

How many of them even understand car share? Have they used it? We haven’t been flooded with enquiries on how NZ’s only car club could help ease congestion and support those who use public transport. Our suggestion to any budding politician:

Talk to Boris! As Super Mayor of London, he is investing over half a milion pounds setting up over 4000 car park spaces for car share clubs before March 2011.

He says,”Car clubs cut Londoner’s costs, help reduce congestion and ease pressure in parking.

He boasts that London must surely have more users than any other European city and even better he thinks they are a “brilliant” idea.

Cityhop also likes to hear that he is taking the scheme further afield and into outer boroughs to encouarge different thinking around cars. Forty per cent of new car club members sell their car once they have joined car share.