Zipcar Expands to 36 New Colleges and Universities Throughout North America

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Oct. 25, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Zipcar, Inc. (Nasdaq: Zip), the world's leading car-sharing network, announced today that it has expanded to 36 additional college and university campuses this fall, broadening its total presence to more than 250 college and university campuses across North America.

Between July and October of 2011, Zipcar launched programs at leading colleges and universities in North America, including Bard College; Bridgewater State University; Butler University; California State University, Channel Islands; Clarkson University; Cleveland State University; Colgate University; Colorado State University; Drexel University; Florida State University; Framingham State College; Hobart and William Smith Colleges; Humboldt State University; Iona College; Liberty University; Marist College; Menlo College; Mississippi State University; Pennsylvania State University, Mont Alto; Providence College; Purdue University; Sacramento State; Stonehill College; SUNY Potsdam; University of Central Florida; University of Cincinnati; University of Idaho; University of Illinois, Chicago; University of Maryland, Baltimore County; University of Massachusetts, Lowell; University of Mississippi; University of Texas, Dallas; University of Washington, Tacoma; Utica College; Washington State University and Wayne State University.

"Zipcar continues to expand its network across college campuses to help usher in the future of transportation for college and university students.  More than any other demographic group, college students (Millennials) are more predisposed to looking at alternatives to personal car ownership," said Scott Griffith, chairman and CEO of Zipcar.  "We believe Zipcar's campus programs help to meet a growing demand from students, faculty and staff for a transportation option that is extremely efficient in terms of fuel, costs, parking and environmental impact.  When combined with last week's launch of our 'Reserve a Zipcar' Facebook app and the recent updates to our iPhone and Android apps, we believe we're well positioned to serve this important consumer group within the car sharing market. When it comes to shared assets, this generation values access over ownership and we're offering them a suite of tools to adopt car sharing on their preferred technology platforms."

In addition to launching on 36 new campuses, Zipcar previously announced a collaboration with Ford Motor Company to make car sharing an even more accessible and cost-effective transportation alternative for students. As part of the two-year alliance with Ford, Zipcar will add 1,000 highly-fuel efficient Focus and Escape vehicles to its existing University fleet of environmentally friendly, reliable and fun vehicles, and is providing discounts of $10 off the membership fee up to 100,000 new members, as well as $1 off the hourly rate on all Ford vehicles on campus for up to one million hours.

As part of the alliance, Zipcar and Ford also launched the new "Students with Drive" grant program that will provide student organizations across the country with $300,000 in Zipcar memberships and driving hours to help them accomplish their missions and work in their local communities.

Zipcar offers more than 30 makes and models of vehicles for use by the hour or day to drivers looking for an alternative to the high costs and hassles of owning a car. This year, as part of the alliance with Ford, the annual membership fee for individuals at participating colleges and universities is $25, and rates on the vehicles start as low as $7 per hour and $66 per day (24 hours), which includes gas, 180 miles of travel per day, insurance, reserved parking spots and roadside assistance. Participating university and college students can join today by visiting http://www.zipcar.com/universities.

"The University of Illinois at Chicago is excited to welcome Zipcar to campus to help further promote a sustainable lifestyle for our students, faculty and staff, while also helping the campus reduce its carbon footprint," said Cynthia Klein Banai, associate chancellor of sustainability, University of Illinois at Chicago. "We're pleased to offer Zipcar as an alternative transportation option to the campus community, and see this as a great benefit, especially for those who don't have a personal car on campus."

"The Zipcar program fits well into Cleveland State University's overall sustainability efforts that benefit the campus and the community as a whole," said Nathan Engstrom, Cleveland State University's campus sustainability coordinator.  "It also offers a transportation option that makes it easier for students, faculty and staff to navigate our urban environment, while taking advantage of all the city of Cleveland has to offer."

Zipcars are self-service and can be easily reserved and accessed 24 hours a day. Participating members with smartphones, including iPhones and Android devices, may download the Zipcar mobile applications to make reservations, lock and unlock the vehicles, as well as honk the horn to help locate the vehicle. Reservations can also be made over the phone or by using the Zipcar website.  

In addition to its presence on college and university campuses, Zipcar has operations in major metro areas in Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, London, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Portland, Providence, San Francisco, Seattle, Toronto, Washington D.C. and Vancouver.

About Zipcar                            

Zipcar is the world's leading car-sharing service with more than 605,000 members and over 9,000 vehicles in urban areas and college campuses throughout the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Zipcar offers more than 30 makes and models of self-service vehicles by the hour or day to residents and businesses looking for an alternative to the high costs and hassles of owning a car. More information is available at www.zipcar.com.

Zipcar and the Zipcar logo are trademarks of Zipcar, Inc.

This press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, including statements with respect to growing Zipcar's University member base and the potential future growth of the relationship between Zipcar and Ford Motor Company.   Among the factors that could cause Zipcar's actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements include Zipcar's ability to profitably attract new members and retain existing customers, adverse economic conditions in general and adverse economic conditions specifically affecting the markets in which Zipcar operates, Zipcar's ability to compete effectively, Zipcar's ability to manage growth and other risks detailed in Zipcar's publicly available filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements reflect Zipcar's expectations only as of the date of this release and should not be relied upon as reflecting Zipcar's views, expectations or beliefs at any date subsequent to the date of this release.

SOURCE Zipcar, Inc.