Business FAQs

We'll bet a Prius that it is! PhillyCarShare is great if you occasionally need a car or second car, and perfect if you:

• Live in the city
• Commute without a car (i.e. you walk, bike, take transit, work at home, or don't work)
• Need a car for business day-trips or meetings

PhillyCarShare provides the convenience of driving without the hassles and costs. Convinced already? Join here! We'll let you off the hook on that Prius. ;-)

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Join here and receive your personal electronic key fob in a few days. It's that easy!

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Eligibility as a business member is based on two things: your business needs to have more than one driver and be eligible to drive by the standards of our insurance company:

• Have a valid U.S. driver license for at least 2 years, or an international driving permit
• Are 21 years old
• Have at least an "okay" driving record for the past three years – no major violations (DUI, reckless driving, hit-and-run, etc.) and only a moderate rate of minor violations.

If employees are permanent Pennsylvania residents, the Commonwealth requires them to acquire a PA driver license within 60 days of residence.

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Hundreds of foreign drivers use PhillyCarShare! The employee will need an international permit from their home country (this is different from a license from their home country) or a valid U.S. driver license. They also must obtain their own driving record printed in English.

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They've got company! Here are some great tips we've learned over the years:

• If they had car insurance from their former state, try looking on the old forms or calling the insurance company.
• Have them check with any places where they've worked. They may have it on file.
• Check with Mom!
• If all else fails, most states have a DMV website that will provide it for less then $10. (Make sure it's the official state website! There are many imposters that will charge extra!)

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Reserve seconds or months in advance for vehicles available 24/7. Just hop on line or call us at 215-730-0988. Get real-time availability for cars right in your neighborhood.

Unlock the vehicle using your own electronic key fob. Simply hold it over the reader on the windshield. The key fob not only unlocks the doors, it also unlocks the ignition and logs you into the car. Then cruise away! Always return to the same spot when you're done.

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Check out our pod locations. We've got cars literally every few blocks throughout Central Philadelphia – closer than your neighbor might be able to park his own car!

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Choose the type of car that suits your trip. Drive Toyota Priuses (hybrid gas-electric vehicles), Tacomas (pick-up trucks), Scion xBs (boxy wagons), and Matrixes (wagons).

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Most reservations are made the same day, and often cars are available on a moment's notice. On most days, about half of our cars are just sitting around at any given time, waiting for you to pick them up. So a nearby car is almost always available. It's still a good idea to reserve the day before, if you know your travel plans ahead of time.

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Each pod has at least one vehicle and many pods have several vehicles. When making a reservation at a particular pod, you're actually reserving a vehicle-type, not a specific car. Even in pods with multiple vehicles, the reservation system will display just one "availability bar" per vehicle type. No worries: yes, we really do have multiple cars there!

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We really do cover everything. Premium insurance is included. While driving our cars, you get $1 million comprehensive coverage per incident, including liability, collision, medical, etc. Your deductible is $500 (waiver available) for most losses but $0 for vandalism.

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For refueling, we have a team dedicated to filling up all of the PhillyCarShare vehicles that are physically available. In the unlikely situation that you find yourself in a car that’s running low in gas, please be sure to return your vehicle with at least a ¼ tank of gas and we’ll take care of the rest. Use our online reimbursement form and fax with your receipt to 215-495-1076 or scan it and e-mail to fuel@phillycarshare.org. Your receipt is eligible for reimbursement for up to thirty days after your trip. Make sure to return the car with at least one quarter tank of fuel, so the next member can drive away just as worry-free.

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We regularly wash, clean, maintain, and repair any damage, so you can avoid the hassle and expense.

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In the very rare case that your reserved vehicle isn't ready (e.g. flat tire, dead battery, previous member returning late), we'll find you a nearby car as soon as possible or put you in a taxi or rental car at our expense and waive your entire reservation cost. With guaranteed reliability, you can be assured of always getting where you're going.

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Go to the San Francisco Bay Area and use your electronic key fob to access City CarShare vehicles. You're fully insured there too. Let us know before you go, though, so we can make sure to coordinate with City CarShare and get a guest account set up for you.

Not heading to San Fran right now? Check our Roaming Memberships with other carshares across the US and Canada!

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Enough said!

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It's yours – pay it! If you don't pay your ticket, the Parking Authority will tack on fees and send it to us. We'll transfer it back to you and then charge you an admin fee to process the ticket and track you down. So, for goodness' sake, please pay it on time. If you find a ticket on the car before you even start your trip, that’s a different story. Call the Emergency Line to report it and we’ll tell you how to handle it.

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You can cancel or shorten any time simply by logging onto our website or by calling our reservation line at 215-730-0988. In advance, canceling or shortening is free. Near the last moment, you are responsible to pay for any cancelled time within three hours of the present. If another member picks up your cancelled time, you're off the hook.

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If you need more time, just extend your reservation online or by calling 215-730-0988. Almost always, you can extend with no problem. But if another member has reserved the car right after you, you'll have to return the car when you'd originally planned. If you absolutely cannot, then we'll make arrangements for the next member and pass along late fees to you.

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It depends on how much you drive. Each driver, on average, spends just $50 per month, including insurance, gas, reserved parking, and the convenience of hassle-free mobility. Compare that to the cost of a car or traditional rental – what a savings! Members who previously owned cars report saving about $4,000 annually.

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Refer any business account (10+ drivers) - especially the one where you work - to a new "Green Business" account, and we'll plunk a $200 free driving credit into your account!

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Using PhillyCarShare can save businesses a lot of money versus owning their own cars or reimbursing employees. According to AAA, if you drive 10,000 miles a year, you will spend an average of $6,822 annually, or 68.2 cents per mile, to own a car! AAA's breakdown is below. If you currently own a car, you may want to adjust the figures based on your known costs. Note that AAA's national averages do not account for Philadelphia's notoriously high costs of parking, insurance, or parking tickets.

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