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New Reservation System Coming Soon
One of the things that makes City CarShare different is that we truly want you to drive less. On those occasions when a car is required,
however, we want your experience to be efficient, convenient and even fun. To that end, we're thrilled to announce a March 1st launch of our
stylin' new reservation system! Our new system will allow you to easily search for cars by address and vehicle type and give you the option
to compare vehicle availability at multiple Pods, side by side. We are particularly excited about our new
Favorites feature, which allows you to store addresses where you frequently pick up cars, like your home or work,
and then perform searches using a nickname that you create for those locations.
To make a smooth transition to the new system, we are creating a short how-to video covering the basics for making a reservation, and we will be giving you an opportunity to test-drive a system demo later this month. Stay tuned for more announcements about this exciting new system designed to make your car share experience better, faster and more efficient. Since the system was designed based on the good feedback from you, our members, we're eager to hear what you think of it so we can continue to improve our service! |
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Share the Love: Add Someone to Your Account for Free!
Since February is notoriously the month for letting others know just how much you care, what says "You're totally amazing!" more than adding
them to your City CarShare account? Okay, so there might be a few other ways, but a key-fob can give them the freedom that neither
chocolate nor flowers can provide.
For the month of February you can add one person to your individual or household account for FREE (yes, that means we are waiving their application fee). We'll even toss in $20 in referral driving credits on your shared account as a way of saying thanks. You'll both share the same annual or monthly fee, and your S.O., roomie or B.F.F. can get a turn behind the wheel for a change. To add a new member to your household account, have your friend apply online and enter the promo code VDay2010 along with your Member ID number. |
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Driving Tip: BYOB(ag) and Save a Tree
Share the Car. Share the Bag. For the past two years, we have supported a BYOB (bring your own bag) shopping philosophy by stocking all of
our vehicles with reusable shopping bags. We've recently freshened up the color and type of bags you see in our cars. These bright orange
bags are easy to spot so you can remember to take them with you when you shop.
According to Save the Bay's research, Bay Area residents use 3.8 billion plastic bags per year. Making bags in the United States takes about 12 million barrels of oil each year but they are only used about twelve minutes before being discarded. By opting to use the reusable bags stocked in our cars instead of paper or plastic, you can do your part to reduce unnecessary waste and keep all those plastic bags from filling our landfills or washing out to sea and joining the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. We believe in sharing, so we ask you to return the bags to any of our cars at your convenience. If you forget, it's okay... we restock our cars periodically so no one will miss out on the fun of reducing the need for paper and plastic bags. |
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Your Piggy Bank Says Thanks for SharingCan you remember the last time you had to spend a Saturday morning getting an oil change? Isn't it nice not to have to deal with maintenance issues or pay for parking, gas and insurance? The costs of car ownership add up fast and we thought it would be fun to remind you of how much you save by sharing our cars rather than owning your own.While the numbers clearly favor car sharing over ownership, there's another important benefit that comes with being a City CarShare member: the average car in our fleet is 25% more fuel and emissions efficient than the average car. So while your piggy bank gets fatter, the Bay Area gets healthier. In 2009, AAA estimated the annual costs of car ownership ranged from $4,350 to an eye-popping $11,473, and that does not include the cost of parking. A typical City CarShare member spends around $62.75 a month. Check out the charts below to see how much it costs the average person to own a car vs. a typical City CarShare member. The first box below only includes ownership, without any driving expense such as gas, maintenance, wear & tear and other operational costs. 
1) All costs of ownership figures are based on 2009 AAA study, Behind the Numbers: Your Driving Costs except for the
cleaning and parking costs. These cost items are City CarShare's estimates.
As a City CarShare member, you don't need a car to get to work: you take transit and bike/walk a lot. Below is a cost breakdown of owning a car for a year and driving 1,400 miles, compared to an average member's annual use of City CarShare for a total mileage of 1,400 miles. The cost of ownership cited here is conservative: these figures do not include typical Bay Area costs such as parking tickets and elevated 'wear and tear' on cars being driven on hilly city streets. Also as a CCS member your insurance deductible is not only low in general, it's exceptionally low for the excellent coverage you get. 
1) CCS usage is based on monthly trip lengths of 8 hours + 50 miles of local driving. The 4 longer distance trips are
estimated at $50 for each reservation + 10¢/mile x 200 miles for each of these reservations. Weekday and Weekend rates are included.
2) Gas is estimated at $3/gallon. This cost is calculated based on the AAA report figures.
3) Includes insurance, taxes, license and registration, finance charges, parking and cleaning, reduced depreciation rate of driving at less
than 15,000/yr. This total DOES NOT including parking tickets and higher wear and tear on cars being driven in hilly cities.
Can you think of any friends who have cars that sit on the street and collect parking tickets? If they don't need a car for their daily commute, they can save money and resources by joining City CarShare. Refer them today and you'll each get free driving credit through our Tell a Friend program! |
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New Member Perk: Escape to Russian River
Looking for a weekend getaway destination? City CarShare is pleased to partner with green certified
Russian River Getaways along the Russian River Valley. Only 70 miles from the Bay Area,
you can enjoy staying in one of their cabins while relaxing and going on fun adventures.
In February (excluding President's Day weekend), you can add a free night to any two or three night booking; in addition to the 10% discount City Car Share member receive. Email marketing@citycarshare.org to obtain a promo code. To check availability and book a rental, visit www.rrgetaways.com. |
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Check Out the Nation's Largest Orchid Expo
Mark your calendar for the 58th annual Pacific Orchid Exposition, coming up February 26th to 28th at the Festival Pavilion in lower Fort
Mason, San Francisco. Presented by the nonprofit San Francisco Orchid Society,
the expo showcases more than 150,000 varieties of orchids from around the world in every color, shape and size. Attendees can purchase
orchids from a large selection of growers and get expert advice on how to keep their orchids thriving.
There is a Gala Benefit Night on Friday, February 26 at 6:30 PM: proceeds support direct conservation efforts in Ecuador and a horticulture scholarship at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. You can purchase tickets to the Gala Benefit Night for $35 online or $40 at the door. You can buy General Admission tickets for $12 online or $14 at the door. Fan us on our CCS Facebook to follow free ticket giveaways, including Gala Benefit tickets! For more information on the Pacific Orchid Exposition, click here. |
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Street Team Volunteers: Earn Driving Credits!Wish you could drive for free? Join the City CarShare's Street Team and earn driving credit for distributing information about City CarShare by hanging up posters in local neighborhoods. Plus, for every 10 businesses you get to display City CarShare information, you'll get an extra hour of driving credit in addition to your volunteer hours. Here are the days and times we will be heading out:
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Toyota Recall: We're on it, You're SafeWe take pride in the way we care for our cars and our members' safety is our number one priority. As a member who drives our cars, we know you may have concerns about the Toyota recalls of various 2009 and 2010 model year vehicles.As a precautionary measure we have removed each vehicle on the recall list from our fleet until repairs are complete. We estimate the recall will be complete within a week and those vehicles will be back in service shortly. Please note that any car that is available in our reservation system is not currently on any Toyota recall, and/or has been repaired by the date it appears available in our reservation system. Though we never found any of the symptoms in our fleet, nor did we have any reports of issues related to the recall from our members, we are having all cars on the recall lists serviced. If you are concerned about the recall and want more information about the cars in our fleet, please click here. Thanks for Sharing! |
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THE FINE PRINT UNSUBSCRIBE FROM THIS NEWSLETTER If you are a former member, or have applied for City CarShare membership and wish to unsubscribe, go here: https://denali.citycarshare.org/signup/optout.action (this link only works for former members and applicants). Otherwise, you can unsubscribe by visiting http://www.citycarshare.net/cgi-bin/lists/email.php You will be sent a confirmation that you must reply to in order for the process to complete. |
