Enterprise CarShare, a service offered through the Enterprise Rent-A-Car local network, is launching today in Salt Lake City with vehicles at nearly 30 locations throughout the downtown area and on local university campuses.

The Utah Transit Authority (UTA), Salt Lake City, the University of Utah and Utah Valley University are all partners with Enterprise to provide affordable car-sharing services to the Salt Lake City and Wasatch Front residents and local businesses. Also supporting this car-sharing initiative is the Utah Department of Transportation's "TravelWise" program, which incorporates a set of strategies that encourage individuals, businesses and organizations to use alternatives to driving alone and thereby reduce energy consumption, optimize mobility and improve air quality in Utah.

"UTA took the lead in establishing this program in the Salt Lake area and Enterprise CarShare offered the most competitively priced option for bringing flexible, affordable car-sharing solutions to our community and has a strong track record of success in other urban markets," said UTA General Manager Michael Allegra. "Enterprise already is well established across Wasatch Front, so they have the ability to scale the local car-sharing model while meeting demand and maintaining fair prices."

By putting vehicles right where people live and work, and by making them available around the clock for hourly, daily and overnight rentals, Enterprise CarShare is a cost-effective, hassle-free supplement to public transit, according to company officials. Salt Lake City is the seventh major retail market to offer Enterprise CarShare in the past two years. The program is now available in more than 35 U.S. states, Canada and the U.K., on more than 75 university campuses and on 40 government and business campuses.

This past summer, Enterprise acquired the business of Zimride, the largest ride-matching program in the U.S., with more than 350,000 users. Zimride is an online service that efficiently connects drivers, passengers and partners with colleges and universities to facilitate sustainable transportation-management solutions. Last month, Enterprise CarShare also was a key sponsor of the recent Shared-Use Mobility Summit, hosted by the Transportation Sustainability Research Center at the University of California, Berkley.

To support the Salt Lake City launch, UTA and Enterprise CarShare are promoting this affordable car rental option to help people get around once they get off the train or bus. The local promotion complements a larger national television campaign that includes an Enterprise CarShare commercial, the first national television ad for the car-sharing industry.