No More Feeding the Meter for Zipcar Members in DC

Zipcar recently added a very enviable perk for its members when they rent vehicles in the District. Thanks to a new agreement between the District government and the rental-car company, Zipcar drivers can stop anywhere they want without having to pay for parking.

The District Department of Transportation recently offered car-sharing services like Zipcar the ability to buy permits exempting their vehicles from many parking restrictions, including meters and residential neighborhood restrictions. For about $300 per vehicle, Zipcar’s cars are now outfitted with stickers that allow drivers to freely park in any legal curbside spot. Zipcar has about 850 cars in DC.

But before Zipcar users from all over Washington try to park wherever they please, it’s important to point out that the arrangement only covers Zipcar vehicles with DC license plates. Members who pick up cars registered in Virginia and Maryland and drive into the District will still have to feed the meters. And Zipcar’s own internal parking policies are still intact—while parking is a free-for-all during a rental, cars still have to be returned to their designated spaces.

Benjamin Freed

Staff Writer

Benjamin Freed joined Washingtonian in August 2013 and covers politics, business, and media. He was previously the editor of DCist and has also written for Washington City Paper, the New York Times, the New Republic, Slate, and BuzzFeed. He lives in Adams Morgan.