GIG Car Share is a carsharing service in parts of the San Francisco Bay Area, Sacramento, and Seattle, created by "A3 Ventures" (a division of the American Automobile Association).[2] The company operates a fleet of Toyota Prius Hybrid vehicles and all-electric Chevrolet Bolts. It offers one-way point-to-point rentals.[3]
 | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Founded | April 30, 2017[1] |
Area served | Oakland, Berkeley, Sacramento, Albany, Alameda, and Seattle |
| Services | Carsharing |
| Parent | A3 Ventures |
| Website | gigcarshare |
The cars are unlocked and locked using a near-field communication (NFC) card or the companion app.[4] Users can be charged different rates depending on the plan chosen. Plans include being charged by the minute, hour, and day.[5]
The company collaborates with cities to pay for parking (including metered spots), which is included in each reservation.
At launch, in April 2017, the company's fleet consisted of 250 vehicles across Berkeley and Oakland.[6] Between November 23, 2017, and December 31, 2017, the company temporarily expanded its service zone to include the San Francisco International Airport to accommodate holiday travelers.[7] On January 29, 2018, GIG announced an expansion from 250 to 500 vehicles.[8] In 2018, GIG expanded to Albany and Alameda.[9] In May 2019 GIG launched the largest all-electric car-sharing fleet in the United States, with 260 Chevy Bolts in Sacramento.[10][11][12][13][14]
GIG also operates several designated parking lots in San Francisco,[15] and one at the Oakland International Airport.
As of May 2019[update], Gig launched the nation's first inter-regional one-way car-sharing service,[16] allowing members to start a trip in either the East Bay or Sacramento and end their trip in a different region.
In April 2020, the service expanded to Seattle, intending to deploy a fleet of 250 hybrid cars by May.[17]
In February 2023, the company announced they would be phasing out their service in Sacramento, citing "Insufficient demand and high operational costs."[18]
In July 2024, the company announced they would be shutting down the service altogether on December 27th, 2024 citing "challenges due to decreased demand, rising operational costs, and changes in consumer commuting patterns."
References
edit- ^ Buhr, Sarah (30 April 2017). "AAA officially launches its car sharing startup Gig with a giant, sober dance party in Oakland". TechCrunch. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
- ^ Peters, Adele (17 April 2017). "AAA Is Planning For A Future Where We Don't Own Cars–Starting With A Car-Share". Fast Company. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
- ^ "AAA launches car-sharing service 'Gig' in Oakland, Berkeley". The Mercury News. 17 April 2017. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
- ^ Beth Quirk, Mary (1 May 2017). "AAA Takes On Zipcar With New 'Gig' Car-Sharing Business". Consumerist. Consumer Reports. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
- ^ "GIG Car Share Rates". GIG Car Share. May 8, 2019. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
- ^ Said, Carolyn (17 April 2017). "AAA to offer one-way hourly car rentals in East Bay". SF Gate. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
- ^ Siu, Antoinette (20 November 2017). "AAA's car-sharing service expands to SFO for holiday travelers". San Francisco Business Journal. Advance Publications. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
- ^ Wirtschafter, Eli. "'One-way' car sharing grows in the East Bay". Retrieved 2018-04-17.. In 2018, Gig expanded to both Alabany and Alameda.
- ^ eikeme (2018-05-22). "One-Way Car Share Launched". Alameda Sun. Retrieved 2018-05-23.
- ^ "Sacramento wants you to dump your car and rent one of these 400 electric share vehicles". The Sacramento Bee. ISSN 0890-5738. Retrieved 2019-05-15.
- ^ Gonzalez, Vicki (2019-05-10). "How Sacramento's transportation culture is changing". KCRA. Retrieved 2019-05-15.
- ^ Vigo, Julian. "The Technological Culture of Ethical Transportation". Forbes. Retrieved 2019-05-15.
- ^ Sessa, Bill (May 15, 2019). "Charged Up". Comstock's magazine. Retrieved 2019-05-15.
- ^ Berman, Bradley (2019-01-24). "Are Electric Cars Only for the Rich? Sacramento Is Challenging That Notion". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-05-15.
- ^ "Gig in San Francisco". GIG Car Share. Retrieved 2020-01-22.
- ^ "MultiZone FAQs". GIG Car Share. Retrieved 2020-01-22.
- ^ Baruchman, Michelle (February 25, 2020). "AAA will launch an app-based car-rental service in Seattle this spring". The Seattle Times. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
- ^ "Electric vehicle rental company GIG Car Share phasing out service in Sacramento". KOVR. 2023-02-20. Retrieved 2023-06-28.