Zipcar to offer student car rental by the hour

From The Battalion

By Heaven Martinez

Published: October 27, 2015

Students at A&M who do not own a car can now take advantage of Texas A&M’s new partnership with Zipcar. 

Zipcar, a car sharing network, will now offer students, faculty and staff a selection of six different cars to rent either hourly or daily. Rental rates for the cars start at about $7.50 per hour or $70 per day. The cars have designated parking spots around campus for easy pickup and return. 

The new partnership, launched last week, aims to provide environmentally- friendly transportation means by allowing people to rent rather than buy a car. 

Justin Camarada, general manager of Zipcar for Central Texas, said research has shown each Zipcar in use can be thought of as taking 15 personally-owned cars off the road, as people rent instead of getting a car.  

“The benefits are decreased traffic on the road, fewer dedicated parking spots and greater environmental benefits of fewer cars,” Camarada said. “Members also report that it is often cheaper for them to use Zipcar as opposed to owning a car of their own.”

The partnership, which is through the Texas A&M Transportation Services, comes after a previous car-sharing partnership with Hertz Car Rental expired. 

Ron Steedly, Transportation Services Sustainable Transportation unit manager, said previous A&M students, faculty and staff who used the Hertz car rental customers can join the Zipcar program for free.

“For a limited time, Texas A&M Hertz cars share members may provide their Hertz member number when enrolling at Zipcar and receive a free membership,” Steedly said.

Others can enroll to use Zipcar for $15 the first year and $25 for an annual membership every year after that. Gas, insurance and up to 180 miles of driving per day are included in Zipcar rates, according to a Texas A&M Today article. 

Students, faculty and staff interested in renting a car from the program can join Zipcar at zipcar.com/universities/texas-a-and-m. Aggies can also rent cars through the Zipcar app.

Read the full article here.