HOBOKEN — According to published reports, in just five days, Hertz is slated to end its 24/7 rental car program nationwide, ending its five-year management of the system in Hoboken. The company presently has cars in 40 spots on Hoboken streets, an effort by the city to encourage residents to give up their own cars. But it is unclear as of today whether the cars are slated to leave on Aug. 31 as reported, whether another company will fill the gap right away, and whether any residents hoping to rent “Corner Cars” over Labor Day weekend can do so.
In July, the Hoboken City Council approved a contract with Zipcar to take over the service, but as of Wednesday, city spokesman Juan Melli could not say when the Zipcars would arrive.
According to a recent New York Post report, Hertz will phase out all of its car-sharing operations in the United States by September. In Hoboken, one of the flagship locations for its car-sharing service, Hertz has been operating without a contract for at least a year and possibly for the last three years, officials have said.
At the July 8 City Council meeting, city officials indicated that Zipcar would be ready to take over the Corner Cars program in four to six weeks. As of Wednesday, they have yet to do so, although Melli said the city has received a signed contract from Zipcar.
According to Zipcar spokeswoman Lindsay Wester, the company is currently in discussions with the city and working hard on a transition plan that will minimize any gap in service for the Corner Cars program. She said specific details on Zipcar’s start date and rate structure are forthcoming. They will be published here when more information is received.
Neither Melli nor Wester could rule out the possibility that there would be a gap in service between Hertz’s departure and Zipcar’s launch.
Hertz did not immediately respond to questions sent via email on Wednesday. Again, this report will be updated when information is available.
Will there be a gap in Hoboken’s car sharing program? No start date yet for Zipcars
