Zipcar partners with ride sharing community

Zipcar Inc., the Cambridge-based car sharing provider, said it is partnering with Zimride, a "social online ride sharing community."

"The partnership will integrate car sharing and ride sharing services and make it possible for Zipcar members to seek, offer, and share Zipcar rides with friends and others in or outside of their social network," Zipcar and Zimride said in a press release.

The joint service will be offered to colleges and universities, starting with Stanford University, the press release said. College students are a key demographic for Zipcar.

The release added: "The integrated service will allow Zipcar members to share a ride by automatically posting the date, time, and destination of the Zipcar trip to the Zimride campus community. Once posted, Zimride's route matching algorithm finds and notifies users looking for a ride. Additionally, Zimride members may find a local Zipcar to share at anytime. This is done seamlessly through a customized campus Zimride website or Facebook application."

To read the press release, please click here. The press release includes links to videos demonstrating how the partnership will work. The image that tops this post was taken from Zipcar's website.
(By Chris Reidy, Globe staff)