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ConsumerWatch: Airport Car Sharing Program Facing Swarm Of Complaints

MILLBRAE (KPIX 5) - Earlier this week, the city of Millbrae's Planning Commission voted unanimously to revoke FlightCar's conditional permit to operate - citing a long list of problems, including illegally operating a generator, poor maintenance of shrubbery and fire code violations.

The start-up, which enables travelers to rent-out their vehicles in exchange for free parking, has been plagued with problems since it went into business earlier this year. But the most serious problem occurred recently when three cars it rented-out were stolen by the individuals who rented them.

Flightcar Co-founder Kevin Petrovic told ConsumerWatch it could have been a lot worse.

"They were all recovered within three days of being stolen," said Petrovic. "It's one of the challenges of building a car rental agency from the ground up."

Petrovic says most of the issues raised by Millbrae's Planning commission have now been addressed. He says some of the problems, like the illegal use of a generator, were exacerbated by the city.

"We were doing our best to try to move everything along, it was really the city we were waiting on most of the time," he said.

Burlingame resident Ron Mota isn't sympathetic. He says the business brings noise and traffic to his street.

"The neighbor that lives right up against it has already told their landlord they are moving," said Mota.

The full Millbrae City Council is expected to vote on the recommendation to revoke the permit on Tuesday, November 12.

(TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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