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2 New Car-Sharing Companies Come To D.C.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Two new car-sharing companies are open for business in Washington, competing with Zipcar.

The Washington Post reports that Car2go launched in the District of Columbia on Saturday with a fleet of 200 Smart cars. Hertz has also launched a car-sharing service called On Demand, with 25 vehicles in the district.

Zipcar arrived in Washington in 2000 and now has about 800 cars in the area. Company officials say demand for car sharing continues to grow.

Nicolas Cole, head of Car2go North America, says the district "makes a lot of sense" because it's densely populated and parking is scarce. Unlike Zipcar, Car2go allows users to leave cars at any metered parking spot. Cole says he can envision Washingtonians using both services.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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