Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Zipcar/Streetcar
Has anyone used Zipcar/Streetcar? I'm wondering if it is as good as their advertising suggests. Is it easy to get a local car without having to book weeks in advance?
Tags for Forum Posts: car clubs, car hire, car sharing, zipcar
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Liz on
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We use it. Yes it is easy to get a car. We've even been able to get one at a few hours notice although this may mean you have to walk a little further than the next street.
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Permalink Reply by Clive Carter on
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I was a member of Streetcar for 12 months and found that I didn't need to use it once in that time and I discontinued membership a month ago. I may rejoin in future. I think it would suit some people well and others little; it mainly depends on how often you're likely to use it and how far you want to travel on any one occasion.
Although the company and the council (especially in at least one misleading issue of Haringey People magazine) have branded this operation as a community "club", no one should be under any illusion that it is anything other than a purely commercial operation. It would be unfair not to compare it with regular rental car companies.
I found Streetcar's marketing slightly misleading over insurance.
They don't mention this aspect much or at all in their marketing, but it certainly should add to the headline cost. If you don't buy the extra insurance, you can be liable for a huge excess, so much so, that it would be foolish not to pay at least some extra to reduce the excess. The maximum package reduces your excess to zero. You can switch this extra cover on and off in 30 day chunks, I seem to remember. It think they should make the insurance aspects clearer in their advertising so you can weigh up pros and cons before joining.
After a referral by the Office of Fair Trading, the $50m takeover of the "club" by US Zipcar was cleared 12 months ago by the Competition Commission (PDF).
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Permalink Reply by Chris brock on
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I used to be a Zipcar member, then left them as there were not that many nearby cars. Then I joined StreetCar, who... were taken over by ZipCar. There's two or three cars within walking distance of most ladder streets, and the rates aren't too bad. I agree to some extent with Clive's point about insurance, I just activate the monthly £14.99 fee as and when I need it and mentally include it in the price I will end up paying. If you're looking for a long hire, it's probably still cheaper to use a "traditional" car hire company, but StreetCar is definitely less hassle.
We don't own a car now, so it is reassuring to know that I can reasonably expect to get one at short notice if I need one in an emergency
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Permalink Reply by Michelle on
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We use zipcar and have found the service pretty good. There is a way around thew insurance if you take put separate insurance - type in car club insurance in to google and this will cover the excess cheaper than zipcar's fee to reduce the excess. You have to be organised in booking your car. We know quite a few people on the ladder who use it and all are happy with it. Happy to give you more info by dm'ing me at michelle@tao.org.uk
Good luck!
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BTW for all you zipcar users, here's the insurance company you can use for an annual fee of £39 which, if you have an accident in a zipcar, you will need to pay the £750 excess to zipcar then you claim back through the insurance company - https://www.icarhireinsurance.com/insurance-information-centre/car-...
Thankfully (touch wood) I have never had to claim but I have had a similar situation with a hire car and there was no issue in paying out so I have no reason to doubt these guys.
M
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Permalink Reply by Rachel Fisher on
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Just wanted to add my support for Zipcar / Streetcar. It's particularly useful for overnight trips etc. We actually ended up selling our car because of the ease of access with Streetcar (now Zipcar). To be honest I preferred Streetcar's booking system, but suspect that this is just a matter of getting used to the new format.
We also use their vans for picking up big Ebay items or taking lots of things to the reuse / recycling centre (given that we've been working on our house for the past couple of years, this happens surprisingly often).Thanks for the tip on insurance Clive. We've not had to make a claim as yet, but I'll look into that now!
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Permalink Reply by Clare on
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I've been using them for just over a year. I agree that zipcar's booking system is harder to use, and you can't estimate mileage costs before booking any more. I also use icarhireinsurance.com
I don't think zipcar are as good as streetcar were, they keep moving cars out of my area, and the cheaper cars are now much harder to get without booking well in advance. They've also sneaked in a few price increases since the takeover. You used to get 500 miles allowance if your booking was 3 days or more. They've cut this right back to 40 miles a day however long you book for, and increased the cost per mile.
It still suits me fairly well to use them for short trips, but I'll be using normal carhire in future for longer journeys.
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Permalink Reply by cara howard on
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Zipcar and Streecar are now one in the same, so even more cars. I have membership, only used it a few times as my other half uses the car for work, but it has been a godsend. Doubt I will ever use it much, but way cheaper than a second car we just wouldn't use enough to justify the cost of.
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Permalink Reply by Alison P on
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Yes, it's remarkable how few cars there are around here when you compare it with a neighbouring borough like Islington. I just had a look at the map to see if that had changed (as I remember this as being an issue when Streetcar first set up) but it still seems the case that there aren't as many cars around here as elsewhere. That said, there seem to be plenty of happy users in Harringay (see earlier posts) so perhaps excessive demand isn't an issue.
Our car is on its last legs and this seems the obvious option for us so I'm interested in all the posts on this.
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I agree with Clare's comments. The number of cars available and the increased costs have certainly been more noticeable since zipcar took over. Having said that, at least they have changed the BMWs for Golfs now on the ladder making the cars slightly more affordable.
We have certainly been lobbying zipcar to put more cars in the area and we have also spoken to Haringey to push this point too. I dont think we have ever had to travel more than a mile to pick up a car even in extremely busy periods.
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