Zipcar Launches Car Sharing Program at Wesleyan University

November 5, 2009

Student government leadership pivotal in selection of Zipcar

MIDDLETOWN, Conn., Nov. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Zipcar, the world's largest car sharing service, and Wesleyan University today announced the launch of Zipcar's car-sharing program on campus. The decision to offer Zipcar was driven by the Wesleyan Student Assembly as a service that will help reduce demand for parking and vehicle emissions while offering a convenient and environmentally friendly alternative to bringing a car to campus.

Beginning today two self-service Zipcars - one Honda Insight Hybrid and one Subaru Impreza - will be available for use 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The cars will be located in reserved spaces at Allbritton Center and are available to all students and staff ages 18 and over. Gas, insurance, 180 free miles, reserved parking and roadside assistance are included in low hourly and daily rates.

Students and staff can join Zipcar for personal use for $35 and can drive for as little as $8 per hour or $66 per day weekdays and $9 per hour or $72 per day on weekends. They will also get $35 in free driving credit as part of a launch promotion. Local residents ages 21 and older can join for $75 ($25 one-time application fee and $50 annual fee). All members 21 and over will have access to Zipcar's network of more than 6,500 vehicles throughout the UK and North America.

Wesleyan students, who are dedicated to making campus more sustainable, reducing carbon emissions, and providing alternative transportation options on campus led the campaign to bring Zipcar to campus, and will play a large part in ensuring its broad use.

"The Wesleyan Student Assembly is committed to finding innovative and sustainable ways for students to get off campus," said Student Body President Michael Pernick, a senior.

"One of the key priorities this year is to 'pop the Wesleyan bubble' by giving students expanded transportation options," Pernick added. "Zipcar is a central component of that goal."

"This program offers many exciting advantages but I am most impressed by the environmental/sustainability advantages that will result," said John Meerts, Vice President for Finance and Administration.

"Students will have less reason to bring a car to campus and instead will be able to use a hybrid car for those times that they truly need to use a car," he added. "Not only students, but the entire Wesleyan community can take advantage of the Zipcar program. We appreciate the initiative that the Wesleyan Student Assembly took to bring this program to campus and to help support it."

Zipcar provides a service that appeals to college students because it provides them with a sustainable way to get off campus and explore the surrounding area as well as to the practical concerns of administrators tasked with running a university and reducing overall costs.

For students, Zipcar offers the freedom of car ownership without the associated cost and hassle of owning a car. Today's students immediately see the benefit of paying for a car by the hour. They see Zipcar, which is consistently ranked alongside other leading brands like Google, Apple and Twitter, as a brand that encompasses their values. Best of all, Zipcar provides insurance to students as young as 18 years of age.

For universities, Zipcar offers a practical and proven solution to managing demand for parking, reducing congestion and emissions and adding a lifestyle-oriented service to campus. Studies have shown the cost of a single parking spot ranges from $4,000 to $40,000 per spot, depending on whether it's an outdoor surface lot or underground garage. Since each Zipcar replaces 14 personally-owned vehicles, a university could reduce the need for up to 28 spots costing up to $1.1 million by just putting two Zipcars on campus.

"Zipcar is a great option for students," said Matthew Malloy, vice president of global university operations for Zipcar. "Our lifestyle brand appeals to today's college students and gives them an affordable and environmentally friendly way to get off campus and around town."

Zipcar was selected as Wesleyan University's car-sharing partner based on its industry leading brand, superior technology and operations, membership experience and track record of providing peer universities with a proven, cost effective and environmentally friendly transportation solution.

Zipcar, which has been offering campus car sharing since 2002, now has programs at more than 140 colleges and universities across the country. Among the dozens of colleges that have partnered with Zipcar to reduce traffic, noise and parking demands are MIT, Columbia, Georgetown, American University, University of Michigan, Harvard University, University of Minnesota, University of Toronto, University of North Carolina, The University of Chicago, and UCLA.

More information about Zipcar at Wesleyan University is available online at: www.zipcar.com/wesleyan.

About Wesleyan University

Established in 1831, Wesleyan University is a coeducational, private university of the liberal arts and sciences. It serves approximately 2,700 undergraduates and 150 graduate students and offers a challenging academic environment promoting independent thought and action.

About Zipcar

Zipcar is the world's leading car-sharing service with 325,000 members and 6,500 vehicles in urban areas and college campuses throughout 28 North American states and provinces as well as in London, England. As a leader in urban transportation, Zipcar offers more than 30 makes and models of self-service vehicles by the hour or day to savvy city residents and businesses looking for an alternative to the high costs and hassles of owning a car in the city. More information is available at www.Zipcar.com.

Zipcar and the Zipcar logo are trademarks of Zipcar, Inc. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

SOURCE Zipcar