Odds and Ends - July 20, 2008

This weekly post summarizes, and occasionally lightly discusses, some of the more minor pieces of carsharing news throughout the week. In this issue:

  • PhillyCarShare retires last of their Beetle Convertibles
  • HourCar adding 10 more Priuses over next two years
  • CTA gives 45 more El parking spots to Zipcar and I-GO Chicago

Now the full stories:

  • PhillyCarShare retired the last of its Beetle Convertibles this past week. The cars, the first of which joined PCS’ fleet in , are the first model to be fully phased out of the fleet(usually they will just have cars that hit the two-year mark be replaced by an updated model). Not to worry, PCS still has MINI convertibles, and Mazda Miata convertibles available to rent.
  • HourCar is adding at least another 10 Toyota Priuses over the next two years to keep up with demand. The cars will be added thanks to a matching grant they received, and will be placed in new pods in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area.
  • The Chicago Transit Authority is leasing I-GO and Zipcar 45 more parking spaces at “El” stops on various lines. The spots, which are being leased for a total of $88,000, will be placed between September 2008 and June 2009.