59% of households in Newton are multi-vehicle. Can families go single car in Newton? This often seems impractical, if not impossible. In my household we are trying to make it work, but not without challenges. Last week, embroiled in a logistical dilemma involving my need to travel to central Massachusetts while my daughter was scheduled for a dental appointment in Needham, I looked into zipcar. I found there are 3 locations in or very near to Newton - 2 cars at the Riverside T, 2 at the Woodland T, and 2 at Comm. Ave and Lake St., next to the end of the B line. Riverside is a 5 min bike ride from our house; I have my zipcard now and plan to try it soon. I'll report back here.
If any Newtonite wants to sign on, I can refer you (email nathan@bu.edu) and will give you the $50 driving credit and keep zero for myself. Full disclosure: I have no financial interest in zipcar.
Embryonic in Newton, where could zipcar extend here? What about one or two cars in each village center? Would this allow your household to car-downsize? Are there other possible models for car sharing appropriate to Newton? (I wonder if neighbors with compatible needs could share an extra vehicle).
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Let us know how it goes! I would love nothing more than to get rid of my car, which I barely use anyway. I take the T to work and bike as much as I can. However, I haven't quite been able to get rid of it. With a small baby and family scattered around Massachusetts, if my wife is working I can end up stranded with no car and places I want/need to go. I've looked into ZipCar too but am not sure it's cheaper or more flexible than keeping my car, much as I would love to unload it!
That car is costing you more than you know. Add up insur, maint, repair, taxes, and depreciation. Sell it and until zipcar comes to all of Newton's villages, you can rent a car from Enterprise (they will deliver it to you) for a lot less than you think, when you really need that second car. And the amount you make on sale of your old car may cover those zipcar or rental fees for a long time.
As more folks come to this realization, we will have more car sharing options in Newton.
Shawn and Lois,
Thanks for commenting! See my recent post recapping my first zipcar experience.
And don't forget cabs! You could do one $20 roundtrip a week (for groceries, say) and still come out paying only $1040/year... less than insurance and gas for one car, to say nothing of repair expenses and the amortized cost of the car!
Being flexible & responsive is precisely the service they offer. If they can't track and respond to customer requests... .
If you schedule your grocery shopping at the same times each week, I bet you could get some neighbors to share the cost of the cab,. Cab-pooling would also connect neighbors together who wish they had opportunities to interact more.
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