San José enhances green mobility efforts with Zipcar

With two car sharing vehicles including a Zipvan cargo van and an electric vehicle on display in the City Hall Rotunda, the City of San José and Zipcar jointly announced today that Zipcar will more than double its car sharing program in San José. Zipcar currently offers 12 vehicles at private Downtown San José parking lots, and is bringing an additional 15 vehicles, including an electric one, to City-owned parking spaces in the Greater Downtown area. Car sharing provides members with vehicles in a convenient, cost-effective alternative to car ownership.

“I welcome Zipcar to the Capital of Silicon Valley and especially Downtown where there are now dozens of Zipcars available for the public to use,” said Councilmember Sam Liccardo, District 3. “Car sharing benefits not only our residents and businesses but San José as well. As a convenient and cost-effective alternative to car ownership, we hope this program will make it easier for commuters and students to consider using greener modes of transportation such as bicycles and mass transit if they know they can have access to a Zipcar vehicle when they need it.

“We’re very excited to expand Zipcar’s presence in San José through the launch of this new car sharing pilot program with the City,” said Dan Grossman, Zipcar Regional Vice President. “We applaud the City of San José for embracing innovative transportation solutions, while helping foster a pedestrian-friendly community. With the flexibility, reliability and convenience that Zipcar offers, along with our variety of fun and functional vehicle choices, Zipcar members in San José now have more options to meet their transportation needs, while helping meet the City’s sustainability goals.”

To encourage car sharing within San José, the City Council approved a Car Share Parking Pilot Program earlier this year. The program offered car sharing operators the opportunity to park up to 40 cars, at no cost, on public streets and in garages for a period of 18 months. To qualify, the car sharing company had to secure at least one private parking space for every two public parking spaces obtained from the City.

Carshare Pilot Program

“The car sharing program is a natural fit with the San José Green Vision and General Plan goals,” added Hans Larsen, Department of Transportation Director. “During the pilot, we’ll find out how car sharing affects traffic congestion as well as the impact it has on the public using greener modes of transportation when they know they can have on-demand access to a vehicle.”

If the pilot is successful, the City’s Department of Transportation will consider expanding car sharing to other areas of San José. The pilot program will run through March 2014. Visit the City of San José website, www.sanjoseca.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=165, for more details about the pilot program.

Car sharing members can reserve vehicles by the hour or by the day at rates which include gas, insurance and other costs associated with car ownership. For more information, please visit www.zipcar.com.

About Zipcar

Zipcar is the world's leading car sharing network with more than 767,000 members and over 10,000 vehicles in urban areas and college campuses throughout the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom Spain and Austria. Zipcar offers more than 30 makes and models of self-service vehicles by the hour or day to residents and businesses looking for an alternative to the high costs and hassles of owning a car. More information is available at www.zipcar.com. Photos and b-roll footage are available for media purposes at www.zipcar.mediaroom.com.

About the City of San José

From its founding in 1777 as California's first city, San José has been a leader driven by its spirit of innovation. Today, San José stands as the largest city in Northern California and the Capital of Silicon Valley—the world's leading center of technology innovation. San José is the 10th largest in the U.S., and is committed to remaining a top-ranked place to do business, work, live, play and learn. For more information, visit www.sanjoseca.gov.