Fun Ride has 90 vehicles for their members to use, and last year these cars were used to provide 330,000 rides. The concept is car sharing, which was started in Switzerland and there it was called ZipCar. Cars are scattered all over the County and are stationed at "pods". When you become a member, you are given an electric fob for your key chain. You reserve your vehicle online and go to where your vehicle is stationed, and a windshield sensor will communicate with the fob on your key chain, opening the car for your use!
The cost is $7.50 per hour and you receive fuel up to 150 miles. FunRide also covers your insurance - everything is included in the price. "It is extremely convenient!" said Mark, adding that "64% of households have more than one car and this is a great way of being eco-friendly and economical."
FunRide has all types of vehicles: hybrids, 15 passenger vans, and trucks. Businesses paying employees car expenses and mileage can use FunRide instead. As an extra service, hotels have started having FunRide vehicle pods/parking spaces and using the cars instead of leasing/renting to guests. Developers are using FunRide to decrease the amount of cars on a site.
Their first vehicle was podded in Santa Maria and now they are all over SLOCounty. Santa Barbara has requested a vehicle and Ventura has also expressed interest. The vision is to cover the area between Los Angeles and San Francisco. They are also looking into a Premium Service of one way passage - basically, so that a person can pick up in one city and drop off in another. They are growing with the demand.
For businesses, the cost is $120 per year with a one time fee of $30 for 1-20 employees and every employee can use the service, and their usage is tracked and reported with a statement. They also provide vehicles for young adults between the ages of 18-21, if they have a clean DMV record.
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