Zip It

Zipcars are coming to UW Tacoma. Actually, as of September 28th, they’re already there, ready to be reserved and driven by anyone with a Zipcar membership. So, if you’re looking for a car for as little as an hour, or even over the weekend, or you’re simply itching to get behind the wheel of a Ford Focus or Honda Insight, consider signing up.

We’re excited to see another Tacoma site for this transportation option (UPS and PLU have Zipcar locations too), and we think the Zipcar concept is a great idea with a lot of potential. While the press release notes the numerous benefits of the Zipcar program, we’re wondering if it’s stretching things just a bit to suggest that the cars will help with the much-bemoaned parking problems around the campus. Maybe? Will their presence reduce the number of people cruising for parking? Or are they more likely to be used by those who don’t already have cars?

Parking issues aside, Zipcar benefits for our environment and our pocketbooks make it a promising proposition for Tacoma.

We love seeing the cars on campuses; where to next?

University of Washington Tacoma Partners with Zipcar
to Offer Car Sharing on Campus
New program aims to reduce parking demand by offering convenient, cost-effective
and environmentally friendly alternative to owning a car

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Sept. 28, 2011 – Today, the University of Washington Tacoma (UW Tacoma) launched a new partnership with Zipcar, Inc., the world’s leading car-sharing network, to offer a Zipcar car-sharing program on campus. 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, as well as members of the local community ages 21 and over. UW Tacoma students, faculty, staff and local community members can join today at 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.

“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.”

UW Tacoma will offer two vehicles to start, including a Honda Insight hybrid and a Ford Focus which will be located in Cragle Parking Lot at 21st and C streets. They 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 website.
“Zipcar is a convenient and cost-efficient transportation alternative that will help make it easier for students to get around town, as well as run personal errands like picking up groceries, going to the mall or even getting away for the weekend,” said Mark Norman, Zipcar president and COO. “And, further benefiting the campus community, every Zipcar removes at least 15 personally-owned cars from the road, which can help reduce UW Tacoma’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.

Zipcar has established partnerships with more than 250 universities, including University of Washington, Seattle Pacific University and Washington State University. For more information, including how to become a member of Zipcar at UW Tacoma, please visit www.zipcar.com/uwtacoma.

About Zipcar
Zipcar is the world’s leading car-sharing service with more than 605,000 members and over 9,000 vehicles in urban areas and college campuses throughout the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Zipcar offers more than 30 makes and models of self-service vehicles by the hour or day to residents and businesses looking for an alternative to the high costs and hassles of owning a car. More information is available at www.zipcar.com.

Zipcar and the Zipcar logo are trademarks of Zipcar, Inc.