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On-Demand Valet Service ZIRX Gains Traction in Seattle

Your car is now on call via a new smartphone app

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This article originally appeared in the November 2015 issue of Seattle magazine.

For those of you who can’t part with your car, a new company launched last fall promises to make getting around a bit easier. ZIRX (zirx.com), an on-demand valet parking service, works via a smartphone app, much like another popular car service.

Users let ZIRX know when they’re on their way to the office, a concert—you name it. GPS tracks the driver, then a ZIRX agent meets him or her on foot or nonmotorized scooter, and whisks the car away, parking it in one of several contracted lots. Time to go home? Reverse the process.

Since ZIRX came to town (it’s currently available in South Lake Union, Belltown, on Capitol Hill, in Fremont and downtown), Seattle has become the San Francisco-based valet parking service’s fastest-growing market, says CEO and founder Sean Behr. And for good reason: According to the Seattle Department of Transportation, paid curbside parking has diminished by 1,380 spaces over the past four years.

Cost for ZIRX is $15/day or $299/ month for unlimited access; car washes, refueling and oil changes are add-ons.

 

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