Maureen the Zipcar at her new home
Meet Maureen:
“It’s all in the name: pack it up for a weekend getaway or use it to cart your loot from the hardware store. Escape by any means necessary with this set of wheels.”
No, it’s not a bizarre entry on an online dating portal, it’s the “about me” section for one of Milwaukee’s newest Zipcars. Maureen is a Ford Escape and her home is in a parking lot at Buffalo and Jefferson in the Historic Third Ward.
She’s part of a massive influx of cars coming Wednesday – the Milwaukee fleet will increase from 11 to 40 cars. And many of those cars are in places previously unserved by the service. Prior to May 2013, cars were only located on the campuses of Marquette and UWM, though they were accessible to non-college students (this reporter included).
Zipcar was in cahoots with the city on the expansion: support came from the city, the Office of Environmental Sustainability, the Department of City Development and the Department of Public Works.
Although it’s company policy not to share specific market numbers – members or reservations, for example – it’s easy to guess that the popularity of the idea has been growing.
