And in this series of exploring Pittsburgh without your own car, we want to spend a bit of time focusing on the logistics and cost basis of doing so. When it comes to anything in life, understanding the true cost of a service is important. So while on previous trips to IKEA we spent about an hour in the parking lot trying to cram everything into our little car, this time we loaded our Zipcar up with ease, drove back home to unload, and went around the block to drop the car off at the end of the journey.Īwesome! The Cost Basis of Using a Zipcar in Pittsburgh Simply access to the car 24/7 whenever we wanted to pick it up.įrom there, the journey out to IKEA and back was exactly as you would expect- all the way down to Angie and I arguing over what we wanted to buy (an IKEA tradition). The only difference came at the end of the shopping run where we were no longer packing up my tiny Honda Civic but instead were loading up a Honda CR-V. There were no interactions with other humans, no heading out of town to a pushy car rental store with limited operating hours, and no hassle what-so-ever. Renting the car was as simple as making the reservation, walking a few blocks down the road, unlocking the car with our Zipcard (a credit card-like device that contains your reservation to unlock your car), and driving away.
Our trip out with a Zipcar coincided with a visit to IKEA, where we needed an SUV for a few larger purchases that would not fit into our compact cars. Rather than pick up an SUV or truck from a rental car or moving company, our friends at Zipcar suggested we take their car out for a spin to help save us time and effort to figure out the logistics of a more traditional rental.Īs we live in the North Side, we found that Zipcar has two to three cars permanently located at the Aviary- just a few blocks from our house. Taking a Zipcar out to IKEA in Robinson Township As Zipcar has over 80 cars scattered around the city, we knew it would be a good feature in this series, and this entry was born.ĭisclaimer: This post is sponsored by Zipcar. In this edition, our friends at Zipcar asked us to take a car out for a spin when we mentioned we were planning an IKEA run for a big purchase. Each of these has its own nuances and cases where it is the most practical, and it is our goal in this series to test the different methods ourselves to see how practical they are for people in the city. The reason for this is because while many visitors and locals in Pittsburgh own their own vehicles, this is not the case for everyone as many choose to not have their own cars to cut costs or enjoy many other benefits of being car-free.įor those who fall into this category, you then have to look at alternative options that are available- be it public transportation, private transportation services, your own feet or bike, or others.
In our series, Exploring Pittsburgh Without Your Own Car, we want to put ourselves in the shoes of visitors and locals who navigate the city through means other than using their own car. Please confirm these directly with any business or attraction prior to visiting. Pricing, operating hours, or menus may have changed since our initial visit and may not be reflected in subsequent updates. Please check out our Terms and Conditions. Our site uses demographic data, email opt-ins, display advertising, and affiliate links. Disclaimer: This post contains sponsored, advertorial content.