Ohio University officials might roll out a new way for students to drive next year.
Dean of Students Ryan Lombardi presented the possibility of a car-sharing program on campus at Wednesday’s Student Senate meeting.
Officials have been considering the program for several months, and the next step was to get feedback from Student Senate. The program would begin this fall.
An outside company would provide the vehicles for the program, and the rental costs — estimated at about $10 an hour — would go directly back to that company, meaning tuition dollars wouldn’t be used toward the program.
“There’s not a lot of risk upfront to the university,” Lombardi said.
Currently, OU officials are in the process of looking for a vendor to host the program—identifying Enterprise Rent-A-Car as a “really strong contender,” Lombardi said.
Enterprise representatives presented alongside Lombardi and showed a video highlighting its university car-sharing program, WeCar, which has been implemented on campuses nationwide, said Jim Wissel, director of business rental sales for Enterprise Holdings, Inc.
Students need to be at least 18 years old and have a valid driver’s license to rent a car; reservations are made online, and students can open the cars by swiping a membership card.
The cars can be rented hourly, daily or overnight at a fee that will include gas and insurance, Lombardi said.
sj950610@ohiou.edu
