Zipcar is announcing new, flexible ways to get people around the Seattle area that’s another sign of a competitive ride-share market.
Previously, drivers had to rent a Zipcar for a round trip – picking up and returning the car at the same parking lot.
But Zipcar is launching a new one-way trip feature, where drivers can pick up a car at a lot and then drop it off at one of 200 designated locations.
The feature is going to help Zipcar compete with other ride-share companies, like Car2Go and BMW's new ReachNow service.
Car2Go has pioneered the "free-floating" feature, where vehicles can be dropped off pretty much anywhere in the Seattle network.
The two services will now look even more similar with new flexible features from Zipcar.
The company is also launching new service at Sea-Tac Airport, so drivers can get a one-way car to the airport parking lot, then back to another lot near their home when they get back from their trip.
The move puts the company in more direct competition with other ride-share companies like Uber and Lyft, which were just granted permission to pick up travelers at Sea-Tac after a face-off with Yellow Cab, which was the only approved car-for-hire service at Sea-Tac.
There's a news conference at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday with more information about the new flexible features.
Zipcar was one of the first ride-share companies in Seattle.
Cox Media Group
