HOBOKEN — Zipcar will begin moving its vehicles into the exclusive parking spaces of Hoboken’s Corner Cars car-sharing program on Wednesday, Sept. 2, according to a city press release. The company will start out placing 30 vehicles in Hoboken, a sum that could jump to 46 as it fully takes over the program.
The program allows local residents to rent cars that are placed on the street at an hourly and daily rate, a rate that includes insurance and gas. The program is an effort to get residents to give up their cars, thus hopefully alleviating the city’s parking crunch.
Hertz has operated the Corner Cars program since 2010, but will remove all of its vehicles from Hoboken streets by Monday, Aug. 31 as part of the phasing out of its Hertz 24/7 car-sharing service nationwide. Aug. 27 is the last day Corner Car members can make reservations for Hertz 24/7 vehicles located in Hoboken.
Current Corner Cars members must sign up for Zipcar to continue using the program, but the company has promised to let these users waive its annual membership fee for the first year through a special promotional deal. To join, visit www.zipcar.com. Further details on how to transition from Hertz to Zipcar are forthcoming. However, if any Hertz members would like to change their membership to Zipcar immediately, please email NYCMarketing@Zipcar.com.
A check of Zipcar’s website showed that on Tuesday, Sept. 1, the cheapest Zipcar vehicle currently available in Hoboken can be rented for $12.75 per hour or $94 per day, and there were 12 cars available in town. Over the Labor Day weekend, Zipcars in Hoboken will rent for between $159 and $259 per day, starting at $16.75 per hour.
In electing to end its car-sharing, Hertz “determined that there is greater return on investment in our core car rental businesses and in European corporate car sharing,” according to a company spokeswoman.
Hertz had been without a contract for the Corner Cars program for at least a year, and possibly since 2012, officials have said.
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