Zipcar, Chicago's largest car sharing service, announced the expansion of its partnership with the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) with the addition of seven vehicles along the Brown and Blue lines. This brings a total of 18 Zipcars to 12 prominent CTA locations.

The addition of Zipcars along the CTA lines make the service more accessible to existing members and encourages the use of public transportation by providing travel options for transit riders.

CTA joins other transportation leaders across the country that have partnered with Zipcar as part of their offerings. These partnerships include, King County Metro Transit in Seattle, Boston's Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority, New Jersey Transit and Washington Area Metro Transit Authority in Washington, D.C.

"While CTA provides convenient service throughout Chicago, there are occasions when people need a car to run errands -- like when going to the grocery store," said CTA President Richard L. Rodriguez. "The expansion of this partnership with Zipcar makes it even easier for customers to conveniently combine both modes of travel without the expense of having a car full-time."

As Chicago continues with its plans to have an all-hybrid taxi fleet by 2014, as well as look at other transportation options, such as Chicago's Bike 2015 Plan, Zipcar complements local environmental and transportation goals with its commitment to reduce vehicle miles traveled, carbon emissions and congestion in Chicago.