William & Mary welcomes Zipcar
Zip around The car sharing program Zipcar has arrived at the College of William & Mary. This Honda Civic is one of four cars in the College's car sharing fleet. Parked behind the Civic is a Toyota Prius Hybrid. This half of the fleet is parked on James Blair Dr. near the Sadler Center. Photo by Suzanne Seurattan
New program aims to reduce parking demand by offering convenient, cost effective and environmentally friendly option to owning a car
Today the College of William & Mary announced a new partnership with Zipcar Inc., to provide the campus with access to the world's leading car-sharing service. The cost-effective and convenient transportation option is now available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to all students, faculty, and staff members, ages 18 and older. Zipcar is an environmentally friendly transportation alternative that takes 15 to 20 privately owned vehicles off the road. The William & Mary fleet includes four vehicles and features a hybrid model.
Gas, 180 miles per day, insurance, reserved parking spots and roadside assistance are included in the hourly and daily Zipcar rates. Cars can be reserved for as short as an hour or for up to four days. Rates on all William & Mary vehicles start as low as $8 per hour and $66 per day (24 hours).
The annual membership fee for anyone affiliated with William & Mary is only $35 and William & Mary applicants receive $35 worth of free driving credit that applies towards their first month of driving. William & Mary students, faculty and staff can join at www.zipcar.com/wm.
"We are anticipating Zipcar to be well received by our campus community especially our freshmen and sophomores who are not permitted to bring their own cars from home. This provides a transportation option that is both needed and environmentally sensitive," said Carolyn K. Davis, director of auxiliary services at William & Mary.
Cars are self service; they can be easily reserved and accessed 24 hours a day. William & Mary Zipcars are located in convenient, high demand areas. Two vehicles will be located on James Blair Blvd. and two vehicles on Wake Dr. near Dupont Hall. Zipcar also offers a fun and functional iPhone app that will make reservations, honk the horn to locate a Zipcar and unlock the doors for members.
"Cost-savings, convenience, reduced demand for parking and less congestion on campus are just some of the benefits that we are confident the William & Mary community will experience," said Matthew Malloy, vice president of global university operations at Zipcar. "Since every Zipcar takes approximately 15 to 20 privately owned vehicles off the road, the University will also be able to reduce its overall carbon footprint and impact on the environment."
Zipcar has established partnerships with more than 200 universities including, in Virginia, Old Dominion University, University of Virginia and recently Virginia Commonwealth University. Zipcar utilizes a network of local vendors to service and clean its fleet.
For more information, including how to enroll in Zipcar at William & Mary, please visit the Zipcar website.
