Car sharing network Zipcar is letting members search for and reserve cars by time, location and vehicle type via an Android app.

Members can use the app to view available Zipcars on a map, get directions to a vehicle locations and extend or cancel a reservation. The app is available for free download in Google?s Android Market.

?We?re focused on delivering the best possible member experience to our members who are making car sharing vs. car ownership a part of their lives,? said Lesley Mottla, vice president of member experience at Zipcar. 

?We conducted a member study in December of 2010 and found that nearly 94 percent of Zipsters use smartphones, with an almost even split between iPhone and Android users,? she said. ?Our research shows that our members rely heavily on their smartphones, and it?s important for us to strive for a seamless experience between our service and our members? lifestyle. 

?All of our efforts are focused on being purposeful and creating a simple, intuitive experience for our members.?

Zipcar is a car sharing network with more than 575,000 members and more than 8,000 vehicles in urban areas and college campuses throughout the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.

Car reservations
Via the app consumers can find available Zipcars on a map using your current location, a favorite location or any location and reserve a car anytime.

Additionally, consumers can sort cars by time available, car type and model and view upcoming reservations.

The app lets users locate their reserved Zipcar by honking its horn and consumers can also unlock and lock their vehicle after scanning their Zipcard at the start of each reservation.

?The convenience that our mobile applications provide to our members is a significant selling point, and gives us a great advantage over our competitors,? Ms. Mottla said.

?Technology has advanced to the point where users can do almost anything using smartphones, and now both iPhone and Android users can lock and unlock Zipcars using their smartphones, as well as honk the horn of a Zipcar,? she said. 

?They can also search for vehicles, make, change and cancel reservations, and so much more, all without having to make a phone call or sit down at a computer. Also, understanding customer behavior is critical to evolving the Zipcar experience, and our investment in the development of mobile applications were driven by understanding smartphone adoption and member behavior.? 

Mobile endeavors
In addition to its Android app, Zipcar also has an iPhone application and a mobile-optimized site.
With Android, the company first launched a public beta which gave it the opportunity to learn from thousands of members on their user experiences.

?It also gave us the opportunity to start to get the word out,? Ms. Mottla said. ?We currently offer a mobile WAP site, iPhone and Android apps, covering most of our members mobile preferences.

?We maintain momentum and continue to drive downloads by making ongoing enhancements based on member usability and feedback,? she said. ?We want to make car-sharing a better experience than owning a car, eliminating all the burdens of car ownership.

?We continue to march towards this vision across all our channels ? mobile, web, vehicle and member services ? by understanding our members, making sure that we deliver a purposeful experience or feature that aligns with how they interact with our service and our company.?