The ride sharing segment of the transportation industry is flourishing today in ways we couldn’t conceive just a decade ago. The innovators who rushed to the market credit a number of things for the concept taking off. Many people had thought of ride sharing, but the technology to support it was still years off. But you know the saying, if you build it, they will come. Finally, Zip Car pioneered the service, and America has taken to it like lovers on a Sunday drive. In fact, many people use a Zip car for just that purpose. Instead of owning a car and further choking the roads, they opt to share the road, and the ride with others who only need to get around by car occasionally.
When talk of sharing a car began, people were still largely hailing taxis from the street corner, or dialing a telephone to book a ride with a taxi company. Now, there’s an app that can be downloaded to a smart phone that will let you reserve a Zip Car, and a Groupon code that will help you pay for it. Ride sharing is expected to grow annually at a rate exceeding 19% and continue to grow globally as more people have favorable results with the concept. In the United States, revenue exceeded $11 million for 2017. No one saw that coming so fast.
If you’re in town for a few weeks or months, it’s a convenient way to get around without renting a car you’ll hardly use. And it saves the hassle of getting to and from the car rental agency. One family credits Zip Car with saving their last vacation. When the father got laid off just before his son’s college graduation, they worried about the expense of getting to the ceremony on time. Instead of the huge overhead of keeping a rental car for a week, they used a Groupon promo code for a Zip Car which was conveniently located near their hotel. It was easy to drive to the stadium where the ceremony was held, and they used public transportation – or walked – to nearby stores, cafes and entertainment the rest of the week.
If you’ve never tried the service, now would be a great time to do so. But be sure to search Groupon so you can start saving right away by using their codes for Zip Car that can save you as much as $500 for a month’s worth of driving. It’s easy to earn driving credit with Zip Car, and they have locations all over the world.