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NJ TRANSIT NJ TRANSIT

NJ TRANSIT PUTS CUSTOMERS IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT WITH ZIPCAR NOW AVAILABLE AT 5 LOCATIONS

Free road trip sweepstakes launches program

April 21, 2008
Contact: Public Information (973) 491-7078

NEWARK, NJ - NJ TRANSIT and Zipcar, the nation's largest car-sharing company, have teamed up to add the flexibility of car-rental service at five NJ TRANSIT locations across the state. The pilot program, announced by NJ TRANSIT Executive Director Richard Sarles, kicks off with a weekend road trip sweepstakes that includes free accommodations at a luxury bed and breakfast.

The new partnership with Zipcar will extend the reach of the NJ TRANSIT system by enabling customers to use a combination of rail service and rental car to reach their destinations. Using Zipcar, customers will be able to access business meetings, run errands or reach leisure destinations that are outside the immediate area of a NJ TRANSIT station.

Customers can get behind the wheel of a Zipcar at:

 

  • Liberty State Park Station (Hudson-Bergen Light Rail)
  • Montclair State University Station (Montclair-Boonton Line)
  • Metropark Station (Northeast Corridor)
  • Princeton Junction Station (Northeast Corridor)
  • Morristown Station (Morris & Essex Lines)

"Through this new partnership, NJ TRANSIT and Zipcar will complement each other, helping customers complete the 'last mile' between the station and their destinations," said NJ TRANSIT Board Member Ken Pringle. "This program will make public transportation a more attractive option for people who need additional travel flexibility."

"The Zipcar program offers an alternative to owning a personal vehicle, while providing customers convenience and flexibility in using their public transportation system," said NJ TRANSIT Executive Director Richard Sarles. "Having the option of using a vehicle for a few hours will help NJ TRANSIT become the preferred transportation choice for a new market of customers who might not have considered using the system in the past."

Zipcar enables members to reserve a vehicle online or by phone and pick it up at a reserved parking location of the driver's choice. Members are given an access card, called a "Zipcard," which will open the vehicle at the time of the reservation and also serves as the ignition key. Rental includes insurance, a gas card and reimbursements for typical car maintenance needs.

 

  • A Zipcar member, for example, can take rail service to Princeton Junction, pick up a reserved vehicle and travel to a business meeting at the Merrill Lynch office building located about five miles from the station, or head off to quaint Delaware River towns for a day of antiquing.
  • From Morristown Station, nature-lovers can use a Zipcar to complete a trip to the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Basking Ridge. Cultural and heritage tourists can zip to the Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms in Parsippany.
  • The Zipcars at Liberty State Park Station on the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail Line will be especially handy for those nearby urban residents who only occasionally have a need for a car. For a flea market excursion or trip to a home furnishings store, a Zipcar is a great way to haul purchases home.
  • Customers can step off a Northeast Corridor train in Metropark and use a Zipcar to visit relatives, shop at Woodbridge Center Mall or Menlo Park Mall in Edison, or immerse themselves in Indian culture along the Oak Tree Road shopping district in Iselin and Edison.
  • Zipcars available at Montclair State University Station will be a great way for out-of-towners to make the last leg of a trip to visit friends or relatives, to shop or dine along the Montclair Mile or reach such cultural destinations as the Presby Memorial Iris Gardens, the Montclair Art Museum or Luna Stage Company.

With service in Boston; New York; Washington, D.C.; Minneapolis; Portland, Ore.; Chapel Hill, N.C.; Oakland; San Francisco; Pittsburgh; Toronto; London; Chicago; Ann Arbor, Mich. and Vancouver, Zipcar is the world's largest car-sharing provider.

Sweepstakes

The sweepstakes winner will receive complimentary use of a Zipcar from any of the five NJ TRANSIT stations for a weekend getaway from August 1 through August 3, 2008 and free accommodations for two at the Martin Coryell House Bed and Breakfast in Lambertville. The winner will enjoy the sights of historic Lambertville and its upscale shops, galleries and Zagat-rated restaurants. Of course, they'll have a Zipcar to explore the countryside and its many attractions.

No purchase is necessary to enter the sweepstakes. Enter by emailing name, home address, email and phone number to [email protected]; or mail postcard with same information to NJ TRANSIT, Marketing Zipcar Promotion, One Penn Plaza East, Newark, NJ 07105-2246. Contest ends May 12, 2008 at noon. Postcards must be postmarked by May 7, 2008.

About NJ TRANSIT

NJ TRANSIT is the nation's largest statewide public transportation system providing nearly 865,000 weekday trips on 240 bus routes, three light rail lines and 11 commuter rail lines. It is the third largest transit system in the country with 164 rail stations, 60 light rail stations and more than 18,000 bus stops linking major points in New Jersey, New York and Philadelphia.