Car sharing company Zipcar has worked out a deal to let users park for free on District of Columbia streets with "Zone 9" permits.
Zipcar's 850 cars will join tens of thousands of vehicles that aren't restricted with parking meter fees and residential neighborhood parking rules. The car sharing program worked with the District Department of Transportation to obtain free parking, NBC 4 reported.
Fellow car sharing company Car2Go has had such an exemption for about two years, the outlet said.
The permits are intended to benefit both car-sharing drivers and the city, encouraging car sharing in the hopes of making D.C. streets less crowded.
"We're trying to make car sharing a reasonable way to live in the District and to allow District residents to own fewer cars and reduce pressure for parking for everyone," Sam Zimbabwe, associate director of planning and policy at the District's Department of Transportation, told NBC 4.
Zipcar will pay the District around $255,000 annually for the permits, which comes to about $300 per car.
The Zone 9 permits let drivers park for as long as necessary for free in any legal space, including metered and residential parking.
According to NBC 4, Car2Go has a similar arrangement but pays more for its cars since they are parked in public parking all the time. (Zipcars stay at "Home Spaces" when not in use.) Car2Go pays the District $2,980 per year for each of its 450 Smart cars.
Zipcar and Car2Go may have more competition soon. Car rental company Enterprise is looking to get into the car-sharing business; it has around 40 cars and is negotiating with the District for Zone 9 permits.
Locals are excited about the recent deal since off-street parking in the area can cost hundreds of dollars a month.
"I don't know if it's a good deal for the city but it's certainly a good deal for Zipcar you rent one and don't have to worry about paying to park or what zone you're in," Mike Charlton, who has lived on Capitol Hill for years, told NBC 4. "Yeah, I think that's a real advantage."
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