New wheels zip onto campus, for rent

Zipcar program offers students pay-by-the-hour vehicle access

This fall, Liberty University is taking part in Zipcar, a company that allows students 18 years and older, as well as faculty and staff, to become members and check out Zipcars to use for hourly or daily rates.

Zipcars live here — a Honda Insight and Scion XB, parked near DeMoss Hall, are available for rent by Liberty students and staff. Photo credit: Ruth Bibby

On Monday, Sept. 5, this new service became available on Liberty’s campus and on Friday, Sept. 9, Liberty Transit held a promotion before and after convocation to spread awareness of this program.

The two Zipcars Liberty has acquired so far, a Honda Insight and a Scion XB, are located in reserved parking spots on Reber-Thomas Dr., with a sign reading “Zipcars Live Here.” As of Monday, Sept. 12, 43 students had registered with Zipcar, along with three staff and faculty members, according to Tim Spencer, the director of Liberty transit.

Gas and insurance are included in the $35 annual fee, as well as the hourly or daily rates of $8 and $66, respectively, on the weekdays and $9 and $72 on the weekends, according to the Zipcar website.

“Once a certain level of use is established, Zipcar will provide all current and additional vehicles at no cost to Liberty, making this a cost effective way to reduce residential vehicle demand,” Richard Martin, the director of financial research and analysis for Liberty Transit, said. “Many schools are able to reduce 10 to 15 residential vehicles per Zipcar, allowing up to 20 to 30 additional commuters to park on campus daily.”

The mission statement for the university division of the company is “To enable simple and responsible urban living — including colleges and universities around the country,” according to the ZipcarU Facebook page. “We envision a future where car-sharing members outnumber car owners in major cities around the globe and in packed places like your campus.”

Environmental responsibility is only one goal of Zipcar. The company also claims to “alleviate congestion” and offer “flexible programs,” according to the Zipcar website.

For each car being rented by students, 10 to 15 spaces allegedly become available to commuter students who need to park on campus, according to Spencer and the Zipcar website.

Another unique aspect of Zipcar is that the same Zipcard can get its user into Zipcars in all participating parts of the country and the world.

According to the Zipcar website, taking advantage of this service requires only four steps: joining Zipcar, reserving a car for a specific date and time online or on the phone, unlocking the door with a Zipcard and using the Zipcar for the designated time period, returning it to the reserved spot when done.

“The idea is to give our students as many options as we can to use the transit system and the other amenities we’re trying to put in place as far as transportation goes, so they can leave their car at home,” Spencer said. “And this is just one other aspect to the service.”

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