Zipcar Launches Car Sharing Program at UA

New program gets students and faculty rolling with a convenient, cost effective and environmentally friendly alternative to owning a car

TUSCALOOSA, Ala., Aug. 27 -- Zipcar, the world's largest car sharing service, and The University of Alabama department of transportation services will announce the launch of Zipcar's car-sharing program on the UA campus today. The first car sharing program in the state of Alabama, the service will help the University reduce demand for parking and associated congestion while offering students a convenient, economical and environmentally friendly alternative to owning a car.

Zipcar will have a formal launch event today at 10:30 a.m. at the Ferguson Center Plaza on the UA campus. Students, faculty and staff will have a chance to sign up for membership, observe how the technology works, and hear from Zipcar and UA representatives. Beginning today, six self-service Zipcars -- two Toyota Matrix's, one Toyota Prius, one Honda Insight Hybrid, and two Scion xB's -- will be available for use 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The cars will be located in reserved spaces in three campus locations: Second Street between Marr's Spring Avenue and McCorvey Drive, the parking lot between Rose Towers and Riverside Residential Community, and the parking lot in front of Tutwiler Hall. They are available to all students, faculty and staff aged 18 and over. Gas, maintenance, insurance and reserved parking are included in low hourly and daily rates.

Faculty, staff, and students will be able to join Zipcar for $35 and can drive for as little as $8 per hour or $66 per day weekdays and $9 per hour or $72 per day on weekends. They also get $35 in free driving credit as part of a launch promotion. Local residents ages 21 and older can join for $75 ($25 one-time application fee and $50 annual fee). All members 21 and over will have access to Zipcar's network of more than 6,500 vehicles throughout the UK and North America.

The partnership with Zipcar fits with UA's focus on sustainability and parking/congestion management.

"Transportation issues, including emissions and parking infrastructure, are major contributing factors in sustainable development and operations," said Ronnie Robertson, director of transportation services at UA. "With Zipcar, we enable our students to have access to a car without having to bring one to campus. This should help us reduce demand for parking, lower emissions and help students save money."

"Whether you have a car on campus or not, Zipcar is a great addition to UA and brings more convenience to our students. We are excited to see this new service being brought to campus and we look forward to the possibility of expanding the program in the future," said UA Student Government Association President Steven Oliver.

Zipcar provides students the freedom of car ownership -- the ability to get off campus for errands, entertainment or road trips -- without the associated cost and hassle of owning a car. Zipcar also eliminates hundreds of dollars in monthly transportation costs, saving members an average of $600 a month or $7,200 a year when compared with car ownership -- money that can be put toward other expenses such as tuition and housing. The service also benefits faculty and staff who bike, carpool or ride transit to work, by giving them access to a car during the day if they need one.

"The University of Alabama is taking a leadership role in the state by offering car sharing to its faculty, staff and students," said Matthew Malloy, vice president of global university operations for Zipcar. "At a time when people are increasingly concerned about the environment and the economy, UA is offering a solution to both issues. We look forward to helping them grow their campus program."

Zipcar was selected as The University of Alabama's car-sharing partner based on its superior technology and operations, membership experience and track record of providing peer universities with a proven, cost effective and environmentally friendly transportation solution.

Among the dozens of colleges that have partnered with Zipcar to reduce traffic, noise and parking demands are MIT, Columbia, Georgetown, University of Florida, Emory University, Georgia Tech, University of Minnesota, University of North Carolina, UCLA, and the Arizona State University.

To join, or learn more about Zipcar at The University of Alabama, visit www.zipcar.com/ualabama.

About Zipcar

Zipcar is the world's leading car-sharing service with 325,000 members and 6,500 vehicles in urban areas and college campuses throughout 28 North American states and provinces as well as in London, England. As a leader in urban transportation, Zipcar offers more than 30 makes and models of self-service vehicles by the hour or day to savvy city residents and businesses looking for an alternative to the high costs and hassles of owning a car in the city. More information is available at www.Zipcar.com.

About The University of Alabama

The University of Alabama, a student-centered research university, is in the midst of a planned, steady enrollment growth with a goal of reaching 28,000 students by 2010. This growth, which is positively impacting the campus and the state's economy, is in keeping with UA's vision to be the university of choice for the best and brightest students. UA, the state's flagship university, is an academic community united in its commitment to enhancing the quality of life for all Alabamians.