Zipcar to expand in Boston
T parking spots will quadruple
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority and Zipcar Inc. will quadruple the number of T parking spots dedicated to the car-sharing firm over the next several months, officials plan to announce today.
A total of 24 Zipcars will be placed at a dozen T locations throughout metropolitan Boston and the Green, Orange, and Red lines, including new spots in Braintree, Malden, and Quincy. The Cambridge-based Zipcar has made similar expansions in New York and Washington, D.C., though the Boston expansion is the company's largest.
Zipcar and MBTA officials say car-sharing and transit complement each other, with many commuters using the cars to travel their final miles to destinations not near a T stop. The program also has the potential to boost T ridership.
New parking spots include Alewife, Woodland, Riverside, Savin Hill, and Forest Hills. New Zipcars at Oak Grove, Malden Center, and three Quincy stations also expand Zipcar's footprint outside Boston. Zipcars are now available at Alewife, Forest Hills, and Savin Hill, with the rollout occurring in phases throughout the spring and summer.
The move also means Zipcar will begin using MBTA transit maps and other details in its new online reservation system, as well as helping the T distribute CharlieCards to both T riders and Zipcar members.
The company has similar partnerships with San Francisco's Bay Area Rapid Transit District, New York's Metropolitan Transit Authority, and Washington, D.C.'s Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority. The MBTA is the first authority to become a partner with Zipcar, though since 2002 the company has had only four vehicles parked at T facilities.
Dan Curtin, regional vice president for Zipcar, said that with the company's membership doubling every year for the last four years, it was necessary to expand in Boston, which will have a 20 percent larger fleet than Washington.
"If you're going to go after the car-free lifestyle . . . mass transit is key to making this work," he said.
Mac Daniel can be reached at mdaniel@globe.com. 
© Copyright 2007 Globe Newspaper Company.
