Car-Sharing Debuts on Yale Campus

NEW HAVEN, Connecticut, September 13, 2007 (ENS) - Yale and Zipcar, the world's largest car-sharing service, have begun a partnership to provide Zipcars as an environmentally friendly alternative to the cost of keeping a car on campus.

Six self-service Zipcars, including three Toyota Prius hybrids, are available for rent around the clock. The cars, which are located in five university locations, may be used by all staff and students aged 18 and over.

"Zipcar's on-campus program allows us to provide our students, faculty and staff with access to a vehicle when they need one, and helps the university achieve its goal of reducing the number of single-occupant vehicles on campus," says Janet Lindner, associate vice president for administration at Yale.

"We look forward to working with Zipcar to introduce our community to car-sharing as a sustainable alternative to bringing a privately owned car to campus, and growing the program as people realize how easy it is to use," she said.

Lindner says the introduction of car sharing to campus is part of a larger initiative to provide more sustainable transportation options to the university community.

Yale has made a commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 10 percent below 1990 levels by 2020, and plans to launch new incentives for members of the Yale community to bicycle, walk, ride mass transit, or use car and van pools to get to and from campus.

Yale currently offers a Guaranteed Ride Home Program and discounted parking to carpoolers and provides free local transit via its campus shuttle system to the university community.

Global Positioning System devices added to Yale shuttle vehicles allow users to track them along their route in real time, making it more convenient to use the shuttle.

For faculty, staff and students, Zipcar is a cost-effective alternative to driving alone to campus, and paying for parking, according to Holly Parker, Yale's director of sustainable transportation systems. She says Zipcar gives all members of the Yale community the freedom to travel off campus to run errands or take a weekend trip, without having to pay to park, maintain and insure a vehicle.

Zipcars allow people who come to campus on transit, on foot or by bicycle additional mobility once they are on campus. "It's an ideal solution for a campus setting," Parker says of the car-sharing program. "We want to reduce Yale's impact on the environment, and we're giving people the tools they need to participate in the effort."

Faculty, staff and students may join Zipcar for $35, and have access to Yale Zipcars for $8.50 per hour or $65 per day. The rates include the cost of gas, maintenance and insurance. The membership cost may be applied to rental costs during the first month of membership.

Those under 21 must have two year's driving experience and a clean driving record. For those over age 21, membership also provides access to the network of 3,500 Zipcars in North America and the United Kingdom.

To become a Zipcar member or to learn more about Yale's Zipcar Program, visit www.zipcar.com/yale.

Copyright Environment News Service (ENS) 2007. All rights reserved.