Zipcar Inc. has partnered with the city of New York to provide car sharing memberships to Department of Transportation (DOT) employees as a part of a pilot program.

Zipcar's partnership with the DOT will also help support Mayor Bloomberg's efforts to make city government operations more efficient and more sustainable.

"Earlier this year, we announced a large-scale effort to make city government smaller, smarter, and more sustainable - both environmentally and fiscally," said Mayor Bloomberg. "An important component of that effort is looking at city-owned cars. A car share program could help reduce the number of cars we use, cut our costs, free up parking on our streets and reduce the congestion on our streets and the pollution in our air. It's another example of how we are constantly working on new ways to deliver better services at a lower cost to the taxpayer and to the environment."

"Car sharing is an innovative way to do more with less and address the city's environmental and fleet-reduction goals," said Commissioner Sadik-Khan. "This strategy helps meet those goals while opening up curbside parking, and by letting the public use the same cars that we use, it helps stimulate the lower Manhattan car share market."

"It is becoming more evident that the 'one car, one driver' model is broken. Individuals, businesses and municipalities are pursuing transportation options, such as Zipcar, that will reduce the need for cars in the city and alleviate traffic, parking and pollution concerns," said Mark Norman, president and COO of Zipcar. "We applaud the city's commitment to find more efficient transportation solutions that will positively impact the economy, the environment and the future of urban development."

Zipcar was selected as New York's first and only car sharing provider through a competitive bid process. The initial contract will serve DOT employees exclusively, supporting its Sustainable Streets program, with the potential to expand to other agencies if the program performs as expected.