Director of Facilities Planning & Management Jim Brassord said that the impetus for the Zipcar purchases was parking shortage on campus. "In 2004 we were having challenges with our parking systems," he said. "Our demands were exceeding the capacity largely because of the construction."
The College was unable to offer the program to all of its students in 2004 due to an insurance policy which did not provide coverage for students who were 18-21 years old. "Since then we have changed insurance carriers, so that now we can insure 18-21 drivers," said Brassord. The College is now one of three institutions in the United States to offer Zipcars to students who are between the ages of 18 and 21.
Since the initial need for Zipcars in 2004, however, other benefits of the program have become apparent. "[Alleviating the parking situation] was the initial motivation in 2004, but now there are other benefits that really have served as the impetus to make this happen," said Brassord. "This will benefit the College parking system, but it is also good from a sustainability standpoint."
The College chose the gas-electric cars over other available models in order to reflect its ongoing commitment to the environment. "Zipcar has a number of vehicle types ... all compact cars or sub-compact cars that are good mileage cars," said Brassord. "However ... we thought that [introducing fuel-efficient cars] was important from a practical perspective to lower carbon emissions."
Brassord also mentioned that the College already has two hybrid vehicles among its pool of cars. The College has also replaced large passenger vans with gas-efficient mini-vans as well.
The College currently has a two-year contract with Zipcar, which will be renewed based upon the program's success. Brassord mentioned that Wellesley College, which introduced the program to its campus in 2003, has found Zipcars to be highly successful. "We've talked with Wellesley [College] and Zipcar about the program," Brassord said. "It has been a smashing success there. The utilization of the cars are at a very high rate-60-70 percent."
Brassord mentioned one warning from Wellesley about the Zipcar program. "One caution was that if the program is too successful, the availability of the cars will be reduced," he said. "We're in agreement institutionally that if the utilization warrants, we will add new cars."
Other members of the College have already shown support for the Zipcar program, according to Brassord. "The College is very enthusiastic about the program. We're hopeful that it will be embraced by faculty, staff and students," he said. According to Brassord, some of the faculty members on the Parking Committee have already shown strong endorsement for the program.
The new Zipcars will be available in front of Keefe Campus Center in order to promote the cars and provide convenience for users. "We are going to be situating the cars in a very visible and convenient location in front of the Campus Center so that they will be getting as much visibility as possible," said Brassord.
Individuals interested in becoming program member must have an online application approved. Members of the College community will be able to utilize Zipcar's reduced fees for its college and university programs. After a $35 annual fee, the hourly rate to use a car is $7 while the daily rate is $55. The charges include gas, insurance and XM Satellite Radio. Accepted members will be provided a "Zipcard" that will unlock and drive any Zipcar. Individuals interested in using the Zipcars can reserve a vehicle online or by phone 24 hours a day, up to one year in advance.
Zipcar is a company created in 1999 by two individuals who learned about the car sharing concept while vacationing in Berlin. Zipcar estimates that each Zipcar removes 20 privately-owned cars from the road.