Zipcar helps fight congestion in Boston’s Seaport District

The Highlights:  

• The Seaport TMA needed a car sharing partner to provide commuters and residents with a sustainable transportation option in Boston’s fastest growing neighborhood.  

• Zipcar created a custom car-sharing program for Seaport TMA that gave members a discounted Zipcar membership.  

• Over 370 active members have reduced their carbon emissions by 1.9 million pounds*.  

• The Seaport TMA is also using usage data from Zipcar to adapt and develop other programs to better fit community members’ needs.  

About the Seaport Transportation Management Association (TMA) 

Seaport TMA is the Seaport District's transportation management association. A non-profit organization representing over fifty employers, developers, and cultural institutions in the South Boston Waterfront, the TMA provides sustainable transportation options for over 25,000 commuters and 5,000 residents that work and live in the neighborhood. Seaport TMA advocates for transportation projects and policies to help keep the Seaport moving and thriving as an extraordinary place to live, work, play, and visit. 

The Background  

In 1997, the city of Boston undertook a massive redevelopment program on South Boston’s waterfront. By 2017, what was once over 100 acres of parking lots and deserted warehouses became the fastest growing part of the city. Today, the Seaport District is home to over 350 companies, from biotech startups to e-commerce giants, as well as over 3,500 residential units.  

With so many commuters and residents in the area, the Seaport TMA needed to improve mobility, ease congestion, reduce vehicle emissions, and support the district’s success.  

The Solution 

Car sharing would help address the district’s transportation and commuter needs, but the Seaport TMA needed the right partner to help speed up its adoption.  

And who better than fellow Seaport neighbor Zipcar? 

In 2021, Zipcar and the TMA partnered to offer members a discounted Zipcar membership.  

The Results 

The partnership has helped curb private car ownership in the Seaport District. Since the program’s launch 370 TMA members, many of whom live in the district, have joined Zipcar.  

Insights from our partnership are also helping the TMA make the Seaport a great place to live, work, and play.  

“The highly valuable usage data provided by Zipcar shows us how our community members are choosing to get around,” said Laichter. “This allows us to adapt and develop our other programs to fit the patterns of Seaport commuters and ultimately results in fewer vehicles on our roads.” 

Our partnership with Seaport TMA and other communities and organizations has also had an impact on the rest of the city: 

• One Zipcar takes 13 personally owned cars off the street.   

• Zipcar households in Boston saved $9,693 on transportation—a net savings of 80%.   

• 26% of Zipcar members in Boston got rid of their vehicles. That’s 16,402 cars off the streets.   

*zipcar.com/impact