CAMBRIDGE, Mass., May 17, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Zipcar, Inc. (Nasdaq: ZIP), the world's leading car sharing network, today announced the expansion of its "Zipvan" pilot cargo van service to Chicago. With this expansion, the Ford E-150 full size cargo vans currently available through the service in San Francisco, Boston and Washington, D.C., are now available for use by Zipcar members throughout the Chicagoland area.

The Zipvan program is officially launching in Chicago with 15 vans available in nine locations throughout the city, including Zipcar pods in Lakeview, Wrigleyville, West Loop, Chinatown and the South Loop. The vans are available for hourly or daily use with rates starting at $15.75 per hour and $109 per day. As with all vehicles in the Zipcar fleet, Zipvan pricing includes gas, insurance, parking, roadside assistance and up to 180 miles of driving per day.

"We're extremely excited to introduce the new Zipvan service into Chicago in time for summer and are thrilled that the Zipvans will be available for the upcoming Memorial Day holiday, which is always a busy moving weekend," said Charles Stephens, general manager of Zipcar Chicago. "The new on-demand cargo vans will be a welcome addition to the variety of pick-up trucks and SUVs we already offer as part of the Zipcar Chicago fleet, and should come in handy for city residents planning to move apartments or for local businesses that need to move large or bulky items, or transport goods and supplies."

The Zipvan service initially launched in San Francisco in November 2011 as a pilot program and expanded to Washington, D.C. and Boston soon after in March 2012.

The Ford E-150 cargo vans include two up-front seats and over 230 cubic feet of cargo space – enough for a queen-sized mattress – enabling members to pick up furniture purchased from Craigslist or IKEA, transport musical equipment or move apartments. The all-inclusive low hourly rates on Zipvan vehicles can also help small businesses and community non-profits reduce their costs for transporting materials. For more information, visit www.zipvan.com.

About Zipcar

Zipcar is the world's leading car-sharing service with over 700,000 members and 9,000 vehicles in urban areas and college campuses throughout the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Spain. 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. Photos and b-roll footage are also available for media purposes.

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SOURCE Zipcar

For further information: Colleen McCormick, +1-617-336-4342, [email protected]