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Zipcar offerings grow near UCLA, USC
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A Zipcar waits for a customer on May 29, 2008 in Washington, D.C.
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Car sharing services in Los Angeles will expand under a plan announced today by city leaders and the company Zipcar. KPCC’s Molly Peterson has more.
Zipcar is the biggest of several services that offer the use of cars to members for an hourly or daily fee. It’s had a toehold in Los Angeles for awhile. Last year, the city announced a pilot program. Six months ago, L.A. set aside 10 dedicated parking spots the company filled with cars cars on the streets around UCLA and USC campuses. Now they’re adding 14 more.
The move is a re-expansion of car sharing services in Los Angeles. About a year and a half ago, Zipcar merged with the second-largest car sharing service, Flexcar. The merged company pulled car sharing from locations that weren’t near colleges, including downtown, where Zipcar gained vocal critics.
Since that cutback, the L.A. City Council and the mayor’s office have said they’re working to grow car sharing services, but neither the company nor city leaders will say whether Zipcar’s service will expand beyond neighborhoods near college campuses.
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