Enterprise Holdings has acquired IGO CarSharing for an undisclosed price, increasing its stake in the rapidly growing car-sharing market.
Closely held Enterprise is buying a nonprofit that was founded in 2002 and has more than 15,000 members as well as more than 200 Chicago-area locations. IGO, which will continue to be operated under its own brand name under Enterprise, was established as a pilot program of Chicago’s Center for Neighborhood Technology.
Enterprise started its own car-sharing program in 2007 and launched what was its WeCar by Enterprise unit the following year. Last May, Enterprise paid an undisclosed price for car-sharing service Mint Cars On-Demand and subsequently combined the company with its existing WeCar and PhillyCarShare units to create the Enterprise CarShare division.
Meanwhile, Enterprise’s competitors have been jostling for a larger share of the car-sharing market, as well. Avis Budget earlier this year completed its $500 million acquisition of U.S. car-sharing leader Zipcar.
ZipCar, which was founded in 1999 and went public in April 2011, has more than 760,000 members and operates in 20 cities and more than 300 college campuses in North America and the U.K.
Hertz launched its car-sharing business, Hertz 24/7, in December 2008.
This spring, Hertz said it would further pursue car-sharing customers by equipping much of its main fleet with self-service technology that will allow for hourly vehicle rentals and keyless entry, starting in late summer.
Follow Danny King on Twitter @dktravelweekly.