At its core, Zipcar’s decision late last year to remove its three-vehicle fleet downtown reflects a lack of car-share demand in downtown Baton Rouge, according to company officials.
“When the need for and utilization of our vehicles doesn’t meet a certain threshold, we adjust accordingly to ensure we’re fulfilling our mission,” says Ashley Leduc, Zipcar’s corporate communications manager, in an email.
That mission, according to Leduc: Reduce the number of personal cars on the road by providing on-demand access to shared vehicles. And that, at least for now, is not a vision shared by most drivers across the city.
Zipcar entered the local market in early 2016, partnering with LSU to offer its services on and near campus. Four vehicles continue to be available on LSU’s campus, with another one located near campus at Southgate Towers on Nicholson Drive.
It was the success seen on LSU’s campus that prompted then-Mayor Kip Holden’s administration to ink a deal with the company, launching a one-year pilot program downtown in 2017, with a one-year renewal option.
It’s unclear how many people used the service in downtown as the company declines to disclose specific membership numbers. Consequently, it’s also unclear how Zipcar’s business model of round-trip car sharing is faring in other markets.
But Leduc says the company is seeing greater interest in car-sharing at LSU, adding those in Gen Z are not only more comfortable with the concept of shared access to vehicles but also with using their cell phones to find mobility solutions.
On a greater scale, Zipcar’s move also raises questions about Baton Rouge’s readiness for a new wave of infrastructure solutions. Its model has been touted by company and city-parish officials as a way to reduce traffic congestion, enable environmental sustainability and fuel other sustainable transportation options, such as public transportation, bike sharing and walking.
However, Davis Rhorer, executive director of the Downtown Development District, says Zipcar’s absence hasn’t been felt, adding additional parking has come online since the company’s departure.
“We just added—in Town Square Phase II—30 new on-street parking spaces on North Boulevard, near the Holiday Inn Express and City Plaza,” Rhorer says. As for those preferring not to drive, Rhorer says most opt for rideshare services like Uber or Lyft.
