If you have been reading CN for a while, you know that I use a ZipCar pretty regularly. I think the service rocks as I am able to grab a car when I need it and the price includes gas and insurance. While not exactly the same as having my own car, it works here in NYC. The cars range in price from $9-$16/hour.

Tonight I found (via the FreshBooks blog) a new car rental service that hopes to change the game for companies like ZipCar. CityFlitz rents cars for CAD$1/day and yes, I did say one dollar a day. CityFlitz wraps the cars with advertisements and the company calls the cars, "trendy mobile billboards". An example of a car is displayed below.

This is a very interesting model in my opinion for a number of reasons. First, unlike ZipCar which restricts your total miles per rental period, CityFlitz wants you to drive as much as you want. In fact, if you drive less than 30km per day, you are charged a penalty. Naturally the goal is to get the advertiser’s message out to the public as much as possible.

Unlike ZipCar, gas is not included and you must return the car with a full tank. CityFlitz rents Mini Coopers and Smart cars. Oh and get this, there’s free WiFi in the car - damn. Sitting in traffic, load up CN! The service is currently only available in Canada.

The concept behind CityFlitz is great and there’s only one thing that worries me with their ability to be a long-term going concern. Can they continue to sell enough ads to support the cars? No matter what, CityFlitz has people thinking and that’s always a good thing.

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