WeCar Launches in DT

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Enterprise's WeCar car-sharing program launches in downtown St. Louis

St. Louis Business Journal

Enterprise Rent-A-Car and the St. Louis Car Sharing Cooperative, led by Citizens for Modern Transit, are making the WeCar car-sharing program available to the general public in downtown St. Louis for the first time.

Launched on Tuesday, the environmentally friendly program allows St. Louisans who live and work downtown to rent hybrid cars by the hour for $10 per hour. Those who enroll in the membership program, which costs $35 per year, will be able to book a vehicle online (www.wecar.com/stl) 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The hourly fee is charged on top of the membership fee.

The nine WeCar vehicles -- all Toyota Prius hybrids -- will be parked in nine rental locations situated near some of the city's largest employers, close to busy residential areas, and near public transportation and high-traffic areas.

The cars are also available for overnight rental from 6 p.m. to 8 a.m. for $30. There is a 24-hour limit to the car rental.

Jim Cloar, president and CEO of the Downtown St. Louis Partnership, said in a statement: "WeCar is a solution for many downtown employees, urban residents, and others seeking to limit vehicle ownership, reduce congestion, and address environmental concerns resulting from the use of vehicles in densely populated areas."

The downtown St. Louis WeCar program is meant to help reduce parking concerns and better utilize mass transit. It comes at a time when commuters are searching for alternative modes of transportation due to the Highway 40/Interstate 64 closure last month.

"Enterprise's WeCar program will provide people who take transit to work or live downtown the freedom of having an automobile without the hassle and expense of driving and parking downtown," Tom Shrout, executive director of Citizens for Modern Transit, said in a statement. "For example, downtown dwellers, employees who carpool, or those who use mass transit can utilize the WeCar program for everything from personal errands to family emergencies."

Enterprise has been offering hourly rentals in several cities, such as Chicago, New York and Washington, D.C.

In January, Enterprise Rent-A-Car and Washington University in St. Louis announced they were partnering on the WeCar program, offering six exclusively hybrid vehicles to students, faculty and staff. That program is not available to the general public, though.

The St. Louis Car Sharing Cooperative includes the following organizations: Citizens for Modern Transit; the Downtown St. Louis Community Improvement District; Pyramid-Spinnaker LLC; LoftWorks; The Syndicate; and Lawrence Group 1 Inc.

Enterprise Rent-A-Car is the largest privately held company in St. Louis with more than $9.5 billion in 2007 revenue.