Zipcar explores pay-per-mile pricing
Zipcar, the car sharing platform which is gaining popularity in the US, currently charges by the hour to rent its vehicles, however, the company is now testing pay-per-mile pricing in some US cities for shorter journeys where the car is not needed for a full hour. The program is still being tested and won’t necessarily roll out to other markets.

Car-sharing service Zipcar has started offering a new pay-per-mile plan in some US cities, a departure from the per-hour system that the company is known for. A Zipcar spokesperson tells The Verge that it is "testing this new pricing in select cities throughout the US," which suggests that it's still a pilot program and won't necessarily roll out widely.

Technically, the pilot is a combination of pay-per-mile and pay-per-hour: in Chicago, for instance, where the new plan is being offered, a fleet of Honda Fits can be rented for $4.50 per hour plus 50 cents per mile on weekdays, or $5.50 per hour plus 50 cents per mile on weekends. Fits do not appear to be offered in Chicago with the traditional pay-per-hour pricing, but a comparable vehicle, the Nissan Versa hatchback, goes for $10.75/hour on weekdays without any per-mile charge.

Zipcar floats the per-mile Fits as a good choice for those occasions when "you just need to make a short trip." Normally, the company's vehicles include 180 free miles per day before accruing additional fees.