Zipcar turned the key in Washington, D.C. for its new, more casual car-sharing service, offering the option for one-way trips for the first time in the area. The car-sharing service is starting with 200 Hondas in its new system, out of more than 1,000 cars in the area. The one-way trips can be made throughout the District, Arlington and parts of Maryland from Prince George's and Montgomery County up through Baltimore.
When Zipcar debuted in 1999, car rentals were almost exclusively a multi-day, paperwork intensive procedure. Zipcarwas one of the first to extend the idea of car rentals into a short-term, more casual service, but it's arguably been less nimble in recent years. The rise of peer-to-peer car-sharing services has put new pressure on the company. That's especially so in cities like D.C., where not owning a car is a viable and popular option, and several car-sharing services vie for attention. The new technology is part of a bigger shakeup at the company, including some layoffs and a restructuring of its management.
Zipcar's new features have been in the works for a while, first appearing in Boston, Denver and Los Angeles. But, the fact that they're arriving at the same time as the SafeTrack program is making the Metro less available is at least a helpful coincidence. It's why Zipcar rival car2go's announcement of a deal with regulators allowing one-way trips between the District and Arlington was timed for the same week.
We believe the one-way service available throughout a variety of counties will be a huge addition to the area, especially during the SafeTrack maintenance this summer. With parking included at the pick-up and destination, users can guarantee that they have a spot at their destination and do not have to circle the block in search.
