View Full Version : You can now live Car Free in OKC - well sort of



metro
11-10-2010, 09:34 AM
A new car sharing company has started up in OKC. I'm glad to see OKC finally get one, wish it was located downtown or MidTown as it would make more sense, but Paseo area is probably a decent fit. I guess you'd have to ride a bus and wait for an hour to the carshare place in Paseo. Still glad to see the concept in OKC, hope it survives long enough for the streetcar system to open.

http://timecar.com/home

Platemaker
11-10-2010, 12:55 PM
I wonder if it wouldn't be a better fit (for now) in the Paseo for the simple fact of population size.

Kerry
11-10-2010, 01:30 PM
Your thread should be call "You can live Car-Ownership Free in OKC". You still need to use a car.

okclee
03-25-2011, 03:14 PM
Has anyone tried TimeCar? If so how was it?

http://www.timecar.com/home

metro
03-25-2011, 08:49 PM
I've noticed they have been putting up billboards on Classen

Thunder
03-25-2011, 08:53 PM
This looks stupid. Its cheaper to rent from Enterprise than this crap.

jpeaceokc
09-12-2011, 09:14 PM
It's cheaper if you only need a car for 2-3 hours instead of all day. I thought it interesting that although the pickup site is named "Paseo" it is actually on the campus of OCU, and I don't think that area is referred to as Paseo.

RadioOKC
09-16-2011, 12:02 AM
Enterprise does have better weekend offers, especially now that it's fall. You can do a $10 a day rate Fri-Mon. I do see value in this for weekday use and quick runs. What is really cool is that
insurance is included as well as fuel exc.

Chris
www.radiookc.com

BBatesokc
08-21-2012, 02:55 PM
One or two of those 'rent my car' sites now have users in OKC too. Tends to be cheaper - but probably a different set of headaches too.

Plutonic Panda
12-12-2012, 07:51 PM
Not sure how much weight their poll will have but they are currently asking people on Facebook where they should locate next.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151355128356189&set=a.461952091188.249193.341904206188&type=1&permPage=1

The options are:

Downtown OKC?
Tulsa, OK?
Stillwater, OK?
Dallas, TX?
Little Rock, AR?
Houston, TX?


Vote by adding your comment on the photo linked above.Well I posted. Campbell Sadeghy. As many people voted for OKC hopefully they will really give thought and build here. I love to see new opportunities like that available in OKC!

Plutonic Panda
12-13-2012, 02:58 AM
They have locations here already, just not Downtown. TIMECAR.com | OKC Locations (http://www.timecar.com/okc-locations)

I've been begging them to come downtown since I came back. :)It seems kinda strange that aren't downtown since they have locations in OKC. But, I guess the downtown residential areas are pretty new though.

HOT ROD
12-15-2012, 12:22 AM
looks to be an OKC based company, so hopefully they will open a location or two downtown (maybe one in midtown, one in deep deuce should do it) and maybe 2-5 cars per location to start. I'd think they'd get a lot of business downtown, particularly as NEW residents continually move in; who may not want to own a car but surely could probably rent a car for a few hours to shop or go to amenities outside of the downtown core.

I wish them success.

BBatesokc
12-16-2012, 05:31 AM
I know a couple that now lives downtown and they have gone 'car free' since moving - about a year ago. They are from NYC, so it was a no-brainer for them. One works close enough to bike/walk to work downtown (Devon) and the other takes a bus to college and a part-time job. They get their errands and grocery shopping done on the weekends and rent (as mentioned above) from Enterprise on the weekends (or another Hertz offshoot lot off Meridian) for $34total and get a compact car from Friday-Monday. Apparently the special is offered virtually year round if you save a previous emailed offer and just continue to click on the link to make an online reservation. If you just go to the Enterprise site or call on the phone, many times of the year the offer will not be available.

They rent 3 out of 4 weekends a month (or less) and have to usually put $40 gas back into the car. Making the rental $74, or about only $2,664 a year in car, gas, and car insurance. You can't beat that if your lifestyle can adapt. Of course, if the Enterprise link or special stops then their budget will go up. They always considered just having a cheap used car for the weekends but for now they can't beat their current routine.

kevinpate
12-16-2012, 08:41 AM
I used to use that same enterprise deal, a lot. Came in handy when I was going to McAlester for a long Friday and then on to camp for the weekend. Or if I was going one direction for a camp on the weekend and my lovely was going in another, or I needed to be at two different events on the same weekend and she needed to stay at the first event. Saved a whole lot of wear tear on my mostly in-metro tank size vehicle. And, since a rental was typically just moving my gear and me, a tiny ride was adequate. Often the gas savings compared to my large and comfy but not so efficient rides was significant enough a rental cost me nearly nothing compared to driving the tank hither and yon. When I took one to Mac, the reimbursement was enough to cover ride, gas and a soda/snack or three as well.

I still use rentals for many road trips, though now I mostly roll single week days. I find more and more I travel via Budget, reserving online and picking up/returning via the local Sears or their counter at Will Rogers.

BBatesokc
12-16-2012, 09:00 AM
That is what we do too. Rent when we need a car. Though in Seattle, we had Zipcar so it was easier. For me, I rented once a month at ~$10/day to drive long distances and overnight trips.

We need downtown access though to either a rental or a service like Timecar.

Fortunately there is an Enterprise downtown (1615 Broadway) and their locations offer pickup/dropoff service.

betts
04-27-2013, 10:09 AM
I just got a flier in the mail today that said "Something new is coming to Deep Deuce." A quick google of the address revealed that it is Timecar. I think we're the perfect location for it.

shawnw
04-27-2013, 10:35 AM
Awesome!

Frustratedoptimist
05-14-2013, 09:46 PM
This is awesome. Damn you, OKC public schools and my inability and unwillingness to home school. Downtown OKC gets better every month.

Frustratedoptimist
05-14-2013, 10:07 PM
Thanks, I'll check it out, Sid.

HOT ROD
05-17-2013, 02:26 AM
Now in Downtown OKC (Deep Deuce):

TIMECAR.com | Home (http://www.timecar.com/home)

Plutonic Panda
05-17-2013, 03:51 AM
TIMECAR is a membership-based car sharing service that provides 24/7 access to vehicles on an hourly and daily basis across Oklahoma and Texas. It's an alternative transportation service that's better for the environment. As a member, you reserve a car on the web or over an automated phone system. You unlock the car with a smartcard (a swiping device), drive where you want, and return the vehicle to its designated parking spot. Car share members pay an hourly or daily rate and are not charged additional fees for gas, insurance, maintenance or permanent parking, like they would with car rental or ownership.Wow, that's pretty. . . really cool haha. :)

BBatesokc
05-17-2013, 06:36 AM
Is the location map working for everyone else? I get some error saying the site is not authorized to use the Google map, blah, blah, blah and the then the map goes blank.

Just the facts
05-17-2013, 06:41 AM
I get an error message as well, and then the map goes blank.

BBatesokc
05-17-2013, 07:10 AM
Looks like they are trying to use the Google map embedded feature without licensing it for commercial use. oooooops!

zookeeper
05-17-2013, 11:29 AM
Car-sharing company brings hourly vehicle rental service to Oklahoma City's Deep Deuce

Car-sharing company brings hourly vehicle rental service to Oklahoma City's Deep Deuce | News OK (http://newsok.com/car-sharing-company-brings-hourly-vehicle-rental-service-to-oklahoma-citys-deep-deuce/article/3818350)

Great article! Fills a solid need there. As you say in the article, even Seattle has the ZipCar, if they need something like this to help with urban transportation, we surely do.

kevinpate
05-17-2013, 12:17 PM
hmmmm, by the hour rent it, drop it transportation. Sounds good, and hopefully it'll be a huge benny for folks.
(and preferably not folks cruising S Robinson in hopes of keeping their own rides and tags from being captured on tape.)

Just the facts
05-17-2013, 12:23 PM
hmmmm, by the hour rent it, drop it transportation. Sounds good, and hopefully it'll be a huge benny for folks.
(and preferably not folks cruising S Robinson in hopes of keeping their own rides and tags from being captured on tape.)

LOL - that made me think of Dirty Mike and the Boys from The Other Guys.

BBatesokc
01-13-2015, 10:58 AM
Has TimeCar pulled out of the Oklahoma City area? Brought up their map and it doesn't show any locations in or around the metro.

Locations and Rates | Timecar (http://www.timecar.com/locations-and-rates)

-----

Just looked on their Facebook. The company closed at the end of 2014. Probably way too hard to compete with the likes of ride-sharing.

BBatesokc
01-13-2015, 11:45 AM
Uber and Lift are slowly killing ZipCar and the like.

And Uber is killing itself.... then the circle will be complete!

I was actually needing a small truck to rent and was hoping TimeCar was still on life support. O'well.

Just the facts
01-13-2015, 01:20 PM
And Uber is killing itself.... then the circle will be complete!

I was actually needing a small truck to rent and was hoping TimeCar was still on life support. O'well.

Lowes and Home Depot rent pickups.

Jersey Boss
01-13-2015, 01:44 PM
As does U-Haul and Enterprise(who will pick you up at your house as well). My experience with the big box store is that their rates are not competitive, especially if you are spending an hour or better to get to the store from your house.

BBatesokc
01-13-2015, 03:39 PM
As does U-Haul and Enterprise(who will pick you up at your house as well). My experience with the big box store is that their rates are not competitive, especially if you are spending an hour or better to get to the store from your house.

I've actually rented from Home Depot before. I found their rates are far better than UHaul's and car rental places - IF - you're just picking up and dropping off.

I've used it to pick up a large item at Sam's and at IO Metro.

okie405
01-27-2015, 06:27 PM
Yeah. Not car free.

And, you've been able to rent a car for 50 years. Enterprise, Hertz, etc. You can rent a car from them for an entire day for $20 with specials. TimeCar isn't that cheap for a day's use of a car, is it? Their website won't even let me view their rental rates as their map for rates is broken.

Zipcar, another car sharing service, has existed for... what... a decade? I tried that when I lived in another city, and it was fine... but it's just not practical. How many times do you need to drive a car that you don't stay at your destination a considerable amount of time? Say you want to go to a friend's party in NW OKC, or you want to go to the zoo, or to a work meeting across town. Or, shopping. And what if there's traffic or time needed to park?

You're not just looking at one or two hours of renting a car, you're looking at 3-4. Car "sharing" services get expensive and fast with mile fees and the hours you end up using. Who needs a car to drive across town, stay for only half an hour, then drive back?

You're easily looking at $50+ dollars per trip each day you want an outing unless you only want to be at your destination for a very short time.

You can "timeshare" a car. I mean, you could just take a taxi or Uber/Lyft around the city and not technically "own" a car either, but you would still be using a car.

Not "using" a car in OKC is incredibly impracticable in 99.9% of neighborhoods.

You could maybe swing it in Bricktown or some urban apartment with a deli/gas station/grocery store a few blocks away, but even then, you would have to have a job that nearby too.

Bus routes here take forever, and connections to most popular destinations make that length of time even longer. Clean bus service, but impracticable for most people. Who wants to spend hours a day on or waiting for a bus (or bus connection)?

What about spending time with friends in the suburbs or going to stores in NW OKC? Yeah, bus service there isn't very usable and walking would suck.

OKC is just too spread out a city to walk across, and the weather blows (literally and figuratively).

You can BUY a working used car for $500-700. With liability only insurance and cheap gas now, you could easily save money and have a full-time car instead of having to cough up +-$50 for every day trip you want. Unless you live and work within a few blocks and walk everywhere 99% of the time.... which is very, very few people in Oklahoma.

kevinpate
01-28-2015, 09:13 AM
would not need to limit to liability only. My youngest is 22. monthly on his 2000 still nice and well covered ride is a hair over 100 month.
a 92 honda i own, same coverage except no collision is about half that, but i get certain old hermit discounts.

BBatesokc
01-28-2015, 12:27 PM
@okie405 -- I think the spirit of the thread was that you don't have to own a car, not that you won't need access to one to get around.

In that spirit it is true, you don't have to own a car in Oklahoma. And, for some people it's probably a better financial option.

As mentioned earlier in the thread, TimeCar is out of business.

The rental car cheap rates are few and far between and usually only apply to weekends.

Ride sharing is probably the best option for most people. Current rates are far below taxi rates. The bus is still a joke, though the Edmond CityLink is pretty well done if you live near it.

bradh
01-28-2015, 12:40 PM
What about spending time with friends in the suburbs or going to stores in NW OKC? Yeah, bus service there isn't very usable and walking would suck.


Pfft, they don't have friends in NW OKC or the burbs, they just turn their nose up at all of them :)

no1cub17
01-28-2015, 04:39 PM
Pfft, they don't have friends in NW OKC or the burbs, they just turn their nose up at all of them :)

Yup - I just use my low tolerance as an excuse and make em drive downtown :)

bradh
01-28-2015, 07:29 PM
Yup - I just use my low tolerance as an excuse and make em drive downtown :)

We spend most of our nights out with friends down there anyway, hooray Uber and designated drivers!

Seriously, for some of our friends, we may have to offers Uber reimbursement to come to our house warming party lol