Zipcar Brings Vehicles to Houston’s Midtown District

Zipcar and the city of Houston have announced an official partnership to add shared Zipcar vehicles in on-street spots in the Midtown District.

Through the partnership, Zipcar and the city of Houston aim to further reduce traffic, congestion, and parking demand throughout Houston, according to Zipcar.

Four Zipcars are available by the hour or by the day — a Volkswagen Jetta named “Davy Crockett,” a Mazda CX-5 named “Carlin,” a Subaru Crosstrek named “Blue Bell,” and a Mazda3 named “Mayor Turner” (after Houston’s Mayor Sylvester Turner).

The vehicles are parked in designated parking spots near Midtown Square and the MetroRail. Each reservation includes gas, insurance, maintenance, and 180 miles of driving per day, according to Zipcar.

“Midtown is a growing and vibrant area and carshare can help Houstonians more efficiently live, work, and play in this community,” said Mayor Turner. “As density increases, we need to find innovative ways to make our existing infrastructure work for us, not against us. Our partnership with Zipcar allows us to take advantage of the sharing economy to better utilize our existing roadways and bring alternative transportation options to our community.”

The Midtown launch builds on Zipcar’s existing carsharing program in Houston, where the company began operating in March 2014. Today, Zipcar’s Houston fleet includes 40 cars in 25 locations, including four university campuses, according to the company.

“With a mission to ease traffic and parking demand throughout Houston, we’re excited to extend our footprint to Midtown, giving residents greater access to vehicles without owning one or buying a second one,” said Justin Camarda, general manager of Zipcar Texas. “Survey data shows there are 500 fewer personal vehicles on the roads in Houston because of Zipcar, and we look forward to growing this number with the new Midtown locations.”

In addition to Midtown, Zipcars are available in Houston’s downtown, in the Heights, Montrose, Upper Kirby, Westchase, at George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Prairie View A&M University, the University of Houston, Rice University, and the Texas Medical Center.