Enterprise CarShare – served by the local Enterprise Rent-A-Car network – is now offering free downtown parking to members who rent a hybrid vehicle, all in partnership with the city government. The free metered parking is part of a new green vehicle initiative in Salt Lake City.

Vehicles that achieve a minimum fuel economy or air pollution score are designated as “green vehicles” and therefore eligible for a special permit allowing up to two free hours of parking. “By making the most of alternative forms of transportation like car sharing, as well as by promoting the use of hybrids, we can help Salt Lake City residents get around more sustainably,” said Neil Hafer, vice president and general manager for Enterprise in Utah.

“Enterprise is already known for offering affordable, accessible and flexible services on a local basis,” Hafer noted. “This opportunity to offer free downtown parking is just one more added benefit for our Enterprise CarShare customers.”

When Enterprise’s car-sharing program launched in Salt Lake City late 2013, the area became the seventh major U.S. market to offer Enterprise CarShare. The Utah Transit Authority (UTA), Salt Lake City, the University of Utah and Utah Valley University are partners with Enterprise in providing affordable car-sharing services to 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.

Today, Enterprise CarShare is available in more than 35 U.S. states, Canada and the U.K., on more than 80 university campuses and on 40 government and business campuses. Putting vehicles right where people live and work, and making them available around the clock for hourly, daily and overnight rentals, makes Enterprise CarShare a cost-effective, hassle-free supplement to public transit.

Additionally, Enterprise Holdings – which owns the Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Alamo Rent A Car and National Car Rental brands through its regional subsidiaries – operates the world’s largest fleet of fuel-efficient vehicles. Including hybrid and electric vehicles, approximately 56 percent of the company’s vehicles average a highway fuel efficiency rating of at least 28 mpg, and 28 percent average 32 mpg or better.