Zipcars might be heading to town in the near future.
At a Baltimore City Council on Wednesday, council members asked the Baltimore City Parking Authority to explain why the cars are taking so long to get here.
The council?s Land Use and Transportation Committee is considering working with Zipcar, a company that rents cars by the hour and by the day, as a new public transportation initiative to ease Baltimore?s traffic.
Gabe Klein, regional vice president of Boston-based Zipcar, said the concept is ideal for densely populated areas to help cut down on congestion, parking problems and the number of cars people own. Zipcar rents cars and provides insurance, gas and even reserved parking spots. It already operates in Washington, Boston, San Francisco, New York and Toronto.
The initiative is widely accepted among City Council members, including Mary Pat Clarke, D-District 14.
“I think it has some interesting possibilities for the city and saving the city some money,” Clarke told The Examiner.
City Council President Sheila Dixon also is intrigued by the project, but wanted to know when it will be implemented.
“What?s the holdup?” she asked.
Peter Collier, chief operating officer of the city Parking Authority, told the council he will meet with the city Departments of Transportation and Finance on Friday to discuss the kickoff.
“The parking authority is in huge favor [of the project,]” Collier said.
But when questioned about why he expected the program?s launch to take up to six months to a year, he said, “Everything is possible, but we need to find spaces in the different neighborhoods.”
Klein said Zipcar might be coming to Hampden, Federal Hill, Fells Point and Camden.
“The American concept is having your own car,” Klein said. “But I gave up my car and I felt no different for my ability to get around.”
Car theft is among one of the top issues facing businesses in a densely populated city, but Zipcar?s technology even provides protection against intruders.
Klein said there is constant communication between Zipcar and the renter.
When a person reserves a Zipcar, they are given a “zip card.” The card both enables keyless entry to the car and “identifies the person and unlocks the door,” Klein said.
The car keys are kept inside the locked car and the car will not start without the zip card.
