Dear Friends and Supporters,
As you may know, we recently lost a bid to become the University at Buffalo’s exclusive car sharing provider. Throughout the process, many of you leant us your kind words and stuck up for the values that we think CarShare represents. Many of you expressed what we couldn’t, and let UB know the importance of supporting the local economy. For that, we are incredibly grateful and honored by your praise.
We want to clear a few things up that we’ve noticed circulating the rumor mill. First of all, we’re going to continue to grow as we have in the past. We’re about to pass the 200 member mark, and next week we’ll be adding a truck to our fleet. As we hit our first anniversary in June, we’ll have grown to a ten vehicle fleet, expanding our network in the West Side and the Elmwood Village. We’ll also be reaching out to the region’s colleges as we grow, including Buffalo State, Canisius, D’Youville, and ECC.
On a personal note, we’re not going to be holding a grudge. We do think that the decision to go with an out-of-state provider is short sighted and reflects poorly on the foundational argument for UB2020. That said, we see infinite opportunity for “knowledge capital” being generated by hardworking, passionate students at not only UB, but the other great institutions mentioned above. As we pursue research aimed at tackling barriers to car sharing in low-income communities, we’ll continue to reach out to students interested in internships and volunteer opportunities. It’s how this non-profit launched and how it will continue to thrive; commitments from people, not institutions.
Lastly, we want to point out that we have been and will continue to offer premium, personal service at a competitive price. There is a myth out there that the corporate giant always offers a better deal, and it’s often not true. In this case, we’re actually cheaper than the competition for many drivers.
So with all that in mind, we welcome the competition to town. Good luck Zipcar, you’ll need it!
Sincerely,
The Buffalo CarShare Team
I can say here in Ithaca we're glad you are still growing and thriving! Congratulations on the truck and thanks for being part of the independent carsharingindustry.org network!
ReplyDeleteCarsharing is a great way to increase transportation access and help with the "affordable living" goals that housing and transportation organizations are working toward at all levels.
Jennifer, Andy & Anna
Ithaca Carshare
P.S. Someone hit a deer with our truck last week. Our members are hurtin' for the few days it's been gone. We would ask to borrow yours for a couple days, but we're sure your members are anxiously awaiting its arrival!
Well written, and good attitude. Focus on providing a great service, and being a sustainable business, and you'll see that there's plenty of new members cingular your way! Car sharing in Toronto has gone from 2,000 AutoShare members to over 20,000 in total since Zipcar arrived just 4 years ago. And, the contract will come up again before you know it ;-)
ReplyDeleteKevin McLaughlin
AutoShare
Great response. UB's loss. Down with President Simpson!
ReplyDeleteBen Janobi
Design Attitude
UB Alum
Yeah I think UB should've used Carshare...but more for the rest of us Car Share users. It's been indispensable for me given the suburban location of some of my errands!
ReplyDelete