Students, staff and faculty at University of Washington Tacoma can enjoy the use of a car, even if they don’t own one. UW Tacoma has launched a new partnership with Zipcar, Inc., to offer car-sharing on campus. The program allows people who join Zipcar to use a car for an hourly or daily fee. Zipcar membership is open to students, faculty and staff members ages 18 and older, as well as members of the local community ages 21 and older. UW Tacoma students, faculty, staff and local community members can join by going to http://www.zipcar.com/uwtacoma .
This year, UW Tacoma members can join for $25. Rates on campus Zipcar vehicles start as low as $7 per hour and $66 per day. Gas, insurance, reserved parking spots, up to 180 miles of driving per day and roadside assistance are included in the hourly and daily Zipcar rates. Cars can be reserved for as little as an hour or for multiple days.
UW Tacoma will offer two vehicles to start, including a Honda Insight hybrid and a Ford Focus, which will be located in the Cragle Parking Lot at 21st and C streets. The cars are parked in spaces clearly marked with a Zipcar sign.
Zipcars are self-service and can be easily reserved and accessed 24 hours a day. Participating members with smartphones, including iPhones and Android devices, may download the Zipcar mobile applications to make reservations, lock and unlock the vehicles, as well as honk the horn to help locate the vehicle. Reservations can also be made over the phone or by using the Zipcar Web site.
“We look forward to partnering with Zipcar in helping our students, staff and faculty reduce their cost of living and help relieve parking congestion on campus,” said Jennifer Burley, employee transportation coordinator at UW Tacoma. “Zipcar’s car-sharing service also promotes the use of alternative forms of transportation to and from campus, an additional environmental benefit.”
Zipcar President and COO Mark Norman estimates that every Zipcar removes 15 personally owned cars from the road, reducing the university’s overall carbon footprint.
“It is great to see the university expanding its transportation options with Zipcar, and I know the student body will appreciate the smart, environmentally friendly service as well as the cost-friendly aspect of Zipcar,” said Joseph Franco, a UW Tacoma student.
