Program Start:
January 2000

Parsons Role:
Investor and Strategic Partner

With traffic and congestion dominating the list of urban woes, more and more Americans are looking for transportation alternatives. Building on the success of its highway and transit transportation infrastructure projects, Parsons has a new challenge: getting individual consumers to change their behavior by right-sizing their transportation usage and joining one of Parsons' most significant partners—Flexcar. In addition to being a major investor and strategic partner, Parsons is one of Flexcar's premier customers with offices in Washington, D.C., Seattle, and in the coming weeks, Pasadena/Los Angeles, participating in Flexcar's business membership program.

Honda Civic is a typical Flexcar vehicle

Founded in 1999 as a public/private partnership supported by King County (Washington) and the city of Seattle, Flexcar is the nation's oldest and largest car-sharing company, offering services to more than 6,000 members—both business and personal—in more than 12 cities in five states and the District of Columbia. Since launching its Seattle operations in 2000, Flexcar has won many awards and commendations for its program.

In fall 2001, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) selected Parsons and Flexcar to operate its new car-sharing program, which was launched in December 2001. One of the newest transportation innovations, car-sharing provides members with hourly access to a fleet of environmentally friendly vehicles, including gas-electric hybrids and electric cars, strategically located throughout metropolitan areas at or near public transportation. Parsons' long and successful history of working with WMATA, coupled with Flexcar's national expertise in car-sharing, proved to be an unbeatable combination. WMATA's car-sharing program now has more than 1,000 members, using more than 30 vehicles at or near Metro stations in Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia.

Members reserve the vehicles by the hour and pay an hourly or monthly rate. Flexcar covers the cost of the car, gas, parking, insurance, and maintenance. Flexcar offers a similar program to businesses for employee mobility needs.

Through Parsons' business membership, employees can reserve and drive one or more Flexcar vehicles typically parked onsite or near the office. This arrangement allows employees to have access to a car at the office without driving to the office. Parsons employees can use Flexcar vehicles for client visits, offsite meetings, and other corporate transportation needs. In addition, Parsons employees can use the vehicles for personal trips—either during the day or after hours—through a personal membership.

Scheduling a vehicle is easy using Flexcar's touchtone phone system. The Flexcar fleet features a variety of vehicles, including pickup trucks, minivans, and even Mazda Miata convertibles. Parsons employees are finding that a Flexcar membership is handy when they need an extra vehicle: when friends or relatives come to town, when they need to move a piece of furniture, or when their car is in the shop.

Parsons' support of Flexcar is helping to advance the program's technology. This fall, Flexcar will launch a Web-based reservation system, in-vehicle technology, and keyless entry, making it even easier to reserve and drive Flexcar vehicles. In the Washington, D.C. area, keyless entry will be integrated with WMATA's SmarTrip card, enabling Metro riders to clear the station gate and enter a Flexcar—all with the same pass card.

Alternative gasoline-electric hybrid vehicle

Clearly, by right-sizing members' vehicle usage, Flexcar provides tangible environmental benefits to the communities it serves. Experience has shown that some Flexcar members sell their existing vehicles, while others choose not to buy a second car for their family. Adding to these benefits is Flexcar's commitment to shifting to mainly hybrid gas-electric vehicle fleets. Individuals giving up their personal vehicles to car-share substantially benefits the environment, and car-sharing using state-of-the-art hybrid vehicles elevates this environmental benefit to an even higher level.

Flexcar is proving that it is possible to create programs that immediately improve our environment and quality of life without altering our need for mobility. It is a common-sense approach to a rapidly escalating environmental problem. Parsons is proud to be a partner with Flexcar and to participate in this innovative movement.

For more information, visit Flexcar online at www.flexcar.com.

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