Zipcar/Flexcar merger: the bad news from Seattle

Erica Barnett, someone with car-sharing experience, writes in The Stranger that the Zipcar takeover merger with Flexcar isn't going quite as smoothly as she'd like. A big Flexcar fan, Barnett says that the more corporate feel of Zipcar has left car sharers in Seattle (Flexcar's home town) paying more for their hourly rentals and, for at least one busy weekend early in the merger, totally without access to the Zipcars. One particular sticking point for Barnett is that Honda Civic hybrids are thrown into Zipcar's "premium" category with BMWs and SUVs. Zipcar told her that cars are made premium based on how much they cost, not on how much the emit. Barnett's not the only one who's frustrated by the changes - she found many who have canceled or will soon cancel their memberships. The fact that Zipcar has yet to turn a profit is driving costs up, while also driving customers away. This could be trouble.
[Source: Erica C. Barnett / The Stranger]