Car sharing service Zipcar will now allow people in the US to access a car within minutes of signing up, which Zipcar is calling Instant Access, the company announced today. Previously, it could take days after you first signed up until you’d actually be able to rent one of Zipcar’s vehicles.
Now, as part of the signup process, you can have your identity confirmed by matching a selfie with your driver’s license, according to Zipcar. Then, once you’re approved, you’ll be able to access a car via the company’s smartphone app. Zipcar says it will still send RFID-enabled “Zipcards” to members that you can also use get into cars you reserve.
“Shortening the time it takes from joining Zipcar to booking a vehicle has been one of our members’ biggest requests, and we are proud that we can now make that possible,” said Zipcar president Tracey Zhen. “Bringing people more immediate access to reliable and cost-effective transportation has never been more important, as urbanites face new economic challenges and uncertainty in pandemic-times.”
Zipcar, which says it is considered an essential service during the COVID-19 pandemic, also recently introduced Dedicated Zipcar. The new service lets you reserve a specific car for a monthly fee. It also introduced a “Stay Local” plan that gives you up to 50 percent off standard hourly and daily rates if you take short trips locally.
