OU’s Transportation and Parking Services is now using Zipcar.
After a two-year deal with the car-sharing service WeCar left Ohio University out of about $16,000, a new partnership has formed — this time with a different agreement plan.
OU’s Transportation and Parking Services is now using Zipcar — a service similar to WeCar, which operates through Enterprise. Zipcar covers the cost of gas and insurance expenses, said CJ Himberg, a spokeswoman for Zipcar, which is based out of Cambridge, Massachusetts.
In the previous contract, which started in 2012, with WeCar, OU was required to subsidize payment to the company if the cars did not bring in at least $1,100 per month for the company.
The university lost less than $8,000 per year out of operating funds from Transportation Services and Student Affairs in this deal with WeCar, said Martin Paulins, director of Transportation and Parking Services.
There are two Zipcars available for student, faculty and staff use. They are located in Parking Lot 120 across from Baker University Center’s first floor.
The rental car service allows users to drive a car for up to 180 miles a day at a cost of $69.
“The cool thing with Zipcar is that it allows students 18 years and older to use the service,” Paulins said. “(Rent-A-Car) and most other services require someone to be 21, or in some cases 25.”
All students, faculty and staff who are under 21 can register for the service for $25 as long as they don’t have any prior traffic violations.
Students over 21 can check out a Zipcar as long as they don’t have more than two traffic violations. Anyone applying must have had a valid driver’s license for at least a year, according to Zipcar’s website.
“It’s something we’ve been offering ever since Zipcar first started 14 years ago,” said CJ Himberg, a spokeswoman for Zipcar. “We want to take all of the hassle out of having a car by providing gas and maintenance that way students are only paying for using the car.”
The company also offers driving perks to new members after registration. New members can get $35-worth of free driving once they are approved for a Zipcard, which is a card that is swiped on the windshield to unlock the vehicle, Himberg said.
Students can use the iPhone app, call the telephone number or visit the website to pick what type of car they want to borrow and for how long they would like to use it.
Students had mixed opinions on whether they would use the service.
“(Zipcar) is something that would be convenient to use, but the price is kind of steep for me,” said Emma Holman-Smith, a junior studying math. “It is an interesting idea, but with the cost, I would be more inclined to borrow from a friend.”
Others students, such as Sierra Schaaf, a communications and political science major, said the service would’ve benefitted her before she was an upperclassmen with a car on-campus.
“It would have been something nice to have to go to places like Wal-Mart on State Street,” she said.
But regardless of students’ transportation situation, Himberg believes they will utilize the resource.
“It’s a great cost saver that way you don’t have to bring a car to campus or pay for parking,” she said. “You don’t need to pay for a vehicle that sits in a lot or garage 90 percent of the time when you can cut costs by using this service.”
