Elon University and Zipcar, the world’s largest car sharing service, have partnered to provide Zipcars on campus to university faculty, staff, and students as an environmentally friendly alternative to the costs and hassles of keeping a car on campus. The partnership continues Elon’s commitment to invest in sustainable solutions on campus and expands Zipcar’s North Carolina operations. Details...
Beginning Oct. 2, two self-service Toyota Hybrid Prius Zipcars will be available for use 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The cars will be available to all staff and students aged 18 and up with gas, maintenance, insurance and reserved parking included in low hourly and daily rates. Zipcar was selected as Elon University’s car sharing partner based on its superior technology and operations, membership experience and track record of providing peer universities with a proven, cost effective, and environmentally friendly transportation solution.
An officialrepresentative from Zipcar will be on campus Oct. 2 in the Moseley Center from11 a.m. to 2 p.m. to provide information about the Zipcar programand to answer any questions you may have. There will also be an informational table at College Coffee in the Academic Village.
“These vehicles are just one of the many initiatives that the university is undertaking to address our environmental sustainability plans,” said Gerald Whittington, Elon’s vice president of business, finance and technology. “Our bio-diesel bus system, our energy reduction initiative to reduce by 6 percent, our water consumption reduction plans, and many others are bolstered by this Zipcar effort, as well.”
For university students who cannot or do not want to bring a privately-owned car to school, Zipcar provides the freedom to travel off campus to attend interviews, run errands, or take a weekend trip. Zipcar also eliminates hundreds of dollars in monthly transportation costs, saving members an average of $436 per month or $5,232 per year when compared with car ownership – money that can be put toward other more relevant expenses such as tuition and housing.
Faculty, staff, and students will be able to join Zipcar for $35 and will gain access to Zipcars for $7 per hour or $60 per day. All members aged 21 and up will also have access to Zipcar’s network of more than 3,500 vehicles throughout the United Kingdom and North America.
Among the dozens of colleges that have partnered with Zipcar to reduce traffic, noise and parking demands are MIT, Columbia, Georgetown, Rutgers, American University, Harvard University, University of Minnesota, University of Toronto, University of North Carolina and The University of Chicago.
