<p>Haven't seen this thing posted here yet, so here it is. </p>
<p>[url=<a href="http://www.zipcar.com/agencies?&return_url=%2frates%2f%5DZipcar%5B/url">http://www.zipcar.com/agencies?&return_url=%2frates%2f]Zipcar[/url</a>]</p>
<p>Basically it's some type of super convenient car rental service that has rental stations on campuses. You get 180 miles for free.</p>
<p>it’s better to own a car</p>
<p>The thing is some people come from far away places, and some people don’t want to pay for the parking sticker. </p>
<p>Something to note is that zipcar once in a while is probably cheaper than a $500? parking pass for a year, depends on how often you use a car I suppose.</p>
<p>Zipcar can be an affordable alternative if you don’t use a car every week or for more than a few hours per week. It is definitely less expensive than paying a car loan every month, buying gas, paying for parking, and paying for parking tickets. And it is so much easier than renting a car. All you have to do is reserve your time, pick it up, and return it to the same parking space on time (or extend your time by phone or internet if no one has it reserved after you).</p>
<p>CityCarShare is another car sharing system, but it is non-profit and Bay Area based. It is usually cheaper for short drives, even if you have it out for more hours. CCS charges around $5 per hour plus 40 cents per mile, whereas Zipcar charges just an hourly rate (~$9/hour for most cars). Say you have to go to Trader Joe’s just down the street, CCS would be cheaper than Zipcar. Say you want to go over to Marin for the afternoon, Zipcar might be cheaper.</p>
<p>i used zipcar a few times when my transmission was being replaced. I found zipcar to be cheaper than city share because zipcar offers a better price for Cal students than cityshare but that was just my experience…either way it was a lifesaver when I had no access to my car when it was in the shop</p>
<p>What is zipcar’s hourly rate for Cal students? As far as I know, it is the same for everyone, around $9/hour (it might be $9.75 now) for most cars. Both companies offer a discounted sign up fee for Cal students, or at least, they should (I’m still under the CCSF plan for both companies). I find that CCS is cheaper for night time trips to SF since it is only $1 per hour after midnight.</p>