Zipcar Expands Presence in Cambridge with 21 New Vehicles

New locations, partnerships with universities and businesses bring benefits of car sharing to more local residents, workers and students

CAMBRIDGE, MA (October 2, 2006) — With gas prices still high and traffic congestion worsening with local students' return, Zipcar, North America's largest car sharing company, today announced the addition of 21 new vehicles in Cambridge and plans to rapidly double its fleet throughout the city to provide more area residents, businesses and students with a cost-effective and greener alternative to car ownership.

With these new additions, Zipcar has increased its fleet in Cambridge by 17% to more than 125 Zipcars, offering people who live and work in Cambridge -- particularly students at the area's colleges and universities -- an easy alternative to the expenses and hassles of car ownership. Ten new Zipcars are now available in Central Square at 355 Green Street, with six new Zipcars at Massachusetts Ave/Arlington Street just outside of Porter Square and five new Zipcars located near Kendall Square at Cambridge Center West. The new vehicles include many of Zipcar's 20 exciting makes and models, such as the Toyota Prius hybrid, Mazda 3 and BMW 325i. Rates start as low as $7.65 an hour, with gas, insurance, maintenance and parking all included.

Zipcar's expansion creates important economic and environmental benefits for the local community by taking a significant number of privately-owned vehicles off the road, reducing transportation costs and greenhouse emissions and improving parking capacity. Recent studies by Zipcar and other government transportation agencies indicate that each Zipcar takes over 20 privately-owned vehicles off the road. To date, it is estimated that Zipcar's service has removed nearly 2,000 vehicles from Cambridge streets and has saved residents and businesses millions of dollars in transportation costs.

The new Cambridge Zipcars will also be accessible to every major university in the Cambridge / Boston area through existing partnerships with Zipcar to provide students, faculty and staff an alternative to the high costs of car ownership and keeping a car on campus. Zipcar now works with a total of 33 colleges and universities throughout North America, with more than 12,000 active student and faculty members. According to Larry Brutti, Operations Manager of Parking and Transportation at M.I.T., "Because of Zipcar and other transportation demand management initiatives, M.I.T. has recently been able to add over one million square feet of new office space without a single new parking space. Overall, M.I.T. has saved more than $9 million."

"We're very excited to continue to provide people who live, work and play in Cambridge a proven and valuable alternative to car-ownership," said Dan Curtin, regional vice president at Zipcar. "We are dedicated to Cambridge, and by expanding our premier car sharing service here, we are creating important economic and environmental benefits for the city, while improving the lifestyle of tens of thousands of local residents, businesses and students."

Founded in Cambridge in 1999, Zipcar estimates it has taken over 25,000 vehicles off the road nationally. Zipcar members also report they drive less each year compared to owning a vehicle and increase usage of public transportation resources by over 47 percent. On average, members state they save $436/month or $5,232/year using Zipcar - money that will likely be spent locally.

About Zipcar
With more than 70,000 consumer and business drivers, Zipcar is North America's largest car sharing service. The company currently operates nearly 2,000 vehicles in 12 states and provinces, including metropolitan New York, Chicago, Boston, San Francisco, Minneapolis, Toronto and Washington, DC. With Zipcar's award-winning technology, accessing and using a Zipcar is as easy as getting cash from an ATM. In minutes or up to a year in advance, members can reserve Zipcars online or by phone, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Zipcar members have automated access to any Zipcar across North America using a "Zipcard" to simply unlock the door and drive away. With Zipcar, gas, parking and insurance are always included. For more information, visit www.zipcar.com.