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Austin car dealerships offer loaner bikes
I’ve heard of dealerships providing loaner vehicles when you drop off a car for service, but here’s a new one: Loaner bicycles.
At First Texas Honda, Austin Subaru and Austin Infiniti, all part of Austin’s Continental Automotive Group, you can borrow a bicycle while your car is in the shop.
The Felt Cafe cruiser bikes come with a lock, bell, light, rack, bottle holder and helmet. You have to supply the muscle power.
“If this were to work anywhere, we figure Austin’s a great environment for it,” says Will Hardeman, managing partner of Continental Automotive Group. “A lot of people are into cycliing and care about the environment and don’t want to use any carbon emissions just to run unimportant errands.”
“On the business side, it’s also cheaper. There’s almost zero maintenance costs,” Hardeman says.
The only dealership in the group that’s not offering loaner bikes is Mercedes-Benz of Austin. “We’re not sure it would be used there,” Hardeman says. (Ha!)
Each dealership has three loaner bikes. Compare that to a loaner fleet of 19 motor vehicles at the Subaru dealership.
“If that number were reversed, that would be a good world to live in,” Hardeman says. (Anyone notice the irony here?)
The new loaner program has been up and running about two weeks. Hardeman was unsure how many times the bikes had been used. If the program proves popular, though, he says the company will add more bikes.
The idea came from a Subaru dealership in Denver that loans out bikes, and Austin customers who for years have been bringing their own bikes to the dealership, Hardeman says.
“We currently have plenty of customers who put their bikes in their trunk. When they drop off their car they get out their bike and ride away, then return when it’s time to pick up their car,” he says.
Customers can keep the loaner bikes for a few hours or overnight.
Slackers need not worry. Loaner cars are still available at the Subaru and Infiniti dealerships, and the Honda dealership has a shuttle.
Loaner bikes are available at First Texas Honda, 1301 W. Koenig Lane, 381-1342; Austin Subaru, 200 W. Huntland Drive, 323-2837; and Austin Infiniti, 8140 Burnet Road, 454-9489. For more information go here.
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