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Early Addition
Metro-North has announced a partnership with Enterprise that will likely appeal to anyone who's been gouged by New York City rental car companies. The New York Sun reports that Enterprise will soon have rental cars at 23 Metro North stations in five upstate counties: Westchester, Orange, Rockland, Dutchess, and Putnam. The program has the potential to encourage more budget-conscious New Yorkers to explore points north beyond the Metro North lines.
It's not really much of a bargain for day trippers, though, if our price comparison on the Enterprise website is any indication. Currently, a one day rental of an economy car from Pawling, New York, about 13 miles from the Metro North Dover Plains stop, costs $37.32, tax included. A one day economy rental from the Enterprise location on East 47th Street costs $84.34, but when you factor in the cost of a peak round trip $34.00 ticket to Dover Plains, the savings is only about $13 bucks. But it does seem like a sweet deal for long weekends: a three day economy rental from Pawling comes to $55.96 total, while the same class of car costs $253.02 total from a city Enterprise.
According to the Sun, Metro North had flirted with Zipcar but ultimately opted for Enterprise because “it has offices close to train stations, offers hybrid vehicles, and has agreed to drive commuters to an office if an automobile is not available at the station.” There are no further details yet on the Metro North or Enterprise websites, but the program isn’t set to start until next spring.
Photo of a Metro North train via Flickr.
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boo. i with they used zipcar. especially because i'm 22 and have to pay that random ridiculous surcharge to any rentals except with zipcar.
When doing the math, keep in mind that upstate explorers often aren't traveling solo.
So you're talking about two $34 train tickets for a couple, or more for a group of friends.
It's still a good deal if you're going for more than a day or two, though. And it's good for the world, too, as you'll be using less fuel and keeping one more car off of NYC's clogged streets and highways.
I'm not surprised they chose Enterprise over Zipcar. Zipcar is wonderful for the city, but its business model doesn't really work in places like Pawling, where a traditional rental car company like Enterprise is more likely to find local customers as well as cityfolk on excursions.
Umm -- Pawling has it's own station -- why would you go 3 more stops to Dover Plains???
Maps, fact-checking, spelling -- Oh wait, this is Gothamist!
THREE CHOO-CHOO CHEERS
The Hudson Valley salutes
Metro-North & its guys
For helping tourists out
With its tie to Enterprise.
Ummm #3, you're missing the point completely. I used Pawling/Dover Plains as an example because, if you're like me, and you have family you want to visit near the Dover Plains station, Enterprise will now have cars for you in Dover Plains. The Pawling Enterprise location was just used to get a price quote for the area.
i think there are also places to rent a car in jersey city or hoboken. not ideal for daytripping, maybe, but a cheaper deal than renting in the city.
Why the fuck do we want city tourists coming into our pristine 'upstate' hamlets?
I'm calling my local representative.
Do these calculations include insurance? Cause that's the budget-killer.
There is a Metro-North station on the Harlem Line in Pawlng, and I have actually used it once.
Now this is not a bad idea, since it is one way to get cars off the road in and out of the city. Plus, gas is cheaper upstate.
If #3 missed "the point completely" it's because the writing is poor. That second paragraph is a confusing mess. What, readers are supposed to know where the writer's family lives?
cool! i'm in! even if it isn't cost effective, you don't have to drive out of the city! wunderbar!
and pawling has it's own stop. actually, i wonder why... not that it's bad, but it's really small and isolated for metro north.
I wonder if the prices in the far-flung Enterprise locations are going to shoot up. A few years ago I started going up to the White Plains one, but then suddenly their prices went through the roof. For the past couple of years I've been going to Pawling, where I usually can get a car for less than $100 for three days, which includes insurance (which I've needed more than once).
While saving a ton of money is nice, even if it weren't so cheap I'd still do it because driving out of the city can be such an incredible crap-shoot - many times it took me as much time to get past the GW as it would have taken to ride the train to Pawling.
Just so everyone knows, car rental agency rates, especially Enterprise Rent-A-Car rates, are always based on vehicle availability. That rate used for NYC is completely inaccurate. Throughout the week, you can rent economy cars in NYC at that same E47th street location that is mentioned for as low as $39.99 per day plus tax and any other insurance you may want. During the weekends, this rate only goes up to $59 or $69.99 per day. Also, for all those Zipcar lovers, Enterprise in NYC also now offers HOURLY RENTALS!!!! The prices are much better and so is the car that you are going to get. Take it from someone that rents cars A LOT....Enterprise blows all other competition out of the water.