On the heels of news last week that the city would allow on-street car sharing, one of the country's largest car sharing providers announced it would be dramatically expanding its Minneapolis operations.

Zipcar, which previously only had cars at the University of Minnesota, said Tuesday that it would place 40 vehicles in "convenient locations" throughout the city. The neighborhoods include downtown, Dinkytown, Loring Park, Northeast, North Loop and Seven Corners. See the new locations here.

The company plans to expand the fleet to even more areas of the Twin Cities later this year, and is "working with City of Minneapolis officials to establish on-street parking spots," according to a statement.

Zipcar was one of four companies that expressed an interest in the city's pilot program to park car sharing vehicles at on-street parking spots -- rather than merely parking ramps. A German company, Car2Go, said they would participate with a fleet of 250 cars.

A local car sharing company, Hourcar, will also likely be expanding its fleet when the on-street spots become available.

Zipcar vehicles cost $8.75 an hour to rent, or $72 a day, without a monthly commitment. For $50 a month, subscribers pay reduced hourly and daily rates.