OZOcar - Eco-Luxury Car Service in New York
by Michael Graham Richard, Gatineau, Canada on 10.21.05
Cancel that taxi or limousine! OZOcar makes getting around town comfortably a lot more responsible with its fleet of well-equipped hybrids. "Each OZOcar comes equipped with high-speed wireless Internet access, an Apple iBook and over 150 Sirius satellite radio stations in the back seat. Passengers will also enjoy the OZOcar Arrival Pack, which offers a selection of exclusive all-natural amenities and treats." The fleet is made up of Toyota and Lexus hybrids; the default car is the Prius (check out our interview with the Technical Marketing Manager for the Toyota Prius), but when a larger vehicle is needed the Lexus RX400h and Toyota Highlander hybrids are also available (with the Lexus GS450h sporty hybrid sedan coming in 2006).
Picture caption: "Angela Lindvall, mother of two, and founder of the Collage Foundation, steps into a Toyota Prius OZOcar during Fashion Week at New York City's Bryant Park." (Source)
OZOcar is the brainchild of Jordan Harris and Roo Rogers, two lifelong friends that share strong social values, a concern for the environment and a passion for style and great design. Harris co-founded Virgin Records US and 'Rock the Vote,' and launched the careers of some of the biggest names in music. Rogers, the founder of Drive Thru Films, has worked with the BBC and MTV and is also the son of famed architect Lord Richard Rogers. Building on the success of Harris' "Green Car to the Red Carpet," a campaign that convinced stars such as Harrison Ford and Cameron Diaz to trade their stretch limos for hybrids, the two are committed to proving that style, sustainability and commerce can exist beautifully together.
OZOcar is launching in New York with plans to expand to other cities in the US and abroad over the next few years. You can make reservations on the website.
Yay! An OZO car post!
In case any are wondering, they provide internet access inside each vehicle via EVDO (broadband which is good for miles and miles as opposed to WIFI which is good for feet and feet). EVDO is kind of treehuggerish, right?, since you won't be using any of those nasty plastic cables at all.
There is a discussion about OZOcar on EVDO Forums.
If it had XM then maybe I would go for a ride.
these guys really are great. rather than use my big, expensive corporate limo service before a VERY early morning videoconference with some Europeans, i elected to use OZOcar. Honestly, it was great.
I used their little 15" mac to check email, score a sushi set on woot, and read the news for the entire drive. the EVDO seemed to slow down a bit on the Manhattan bridge, but it was a comfortable and very well-equipped ride the entire way in.
Fast, cheap, comfortable, and wired. I loved it.
after the first experience, things have really gone downhill with these clowns. I had hoped that by now they'd let me use my credit card to make a reservation online, but i have to go through some perverted process of opening a corporate account first. not worth it.
So, i've used them four more times since the first one. i don't know why i kept going back, but i really don't like using a normal car, and i WANT these guys to succeed.
1) pickup from the office (midtown). driver sat around the corner for 20 minutes and no one called me. i could have taken the subway in the time i waited for this guy. not sure what happened, but only when i called them did they tell me he was here. i waited 20 minutes once we got home for him to process the credit card i gave them when i made the reservation
2) early morning (5am) pickup at home. they had no cars on, so after I waited 20 minutes after the agreed (night before) pickup time, they said they'd send a normal limo to get me. i took the subway.
3) pickup from laguardia. no problems- the driver called me and we met easily. took 10 minutes for him to process the credit card once i got home.
4) arrived after a long flight from europe to newark. the driver got lost (i wasn't paying attention to where he was going) in jersey. it took over an hour to get home. again, it took too long to process the credit card and i gave them cash
great idea. decent marketing. poor execution.
Very unhappy with service: wanted to do the right thing for the environment and pushed for quite a while to get OZOcar to be considered. Ordered a Lexus hybrid SUV for executives in NYC, but instead of the Lexus hybrid, they were sent a big, gas-guzzling Lincoln SUV! Customer service said someone should have called me to let me know that when they are out of hybrids, they will subcontract it to a different vehicle. If I'd have known, I could have at least ordered a Prius instead. Also gave the order desk my credit card to make this easy - our executives still had to give the driver their credit card. What an incredible disappointment. I left the customer service manager a voice mail - we'll see what she comes back with.
I use these guys all the time and they keep getting better and better. Sure, there were snafus in the begining, but now they seem to be on the top of their game. I won't go any other way.
On time, under budget, and very comfortable.