Winona State University to Offer Zipcar Service on Campus

Car sharing provides convenient, cost effective and environmentally friendly option to owning a car for faculty, staff, students and community members

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. and WINONA, Minn., Sept. 1 -- Today Winona State University (WSU) officially launches Zipcar on campus in an effort to reduce demand for parking, decrease carbon emissions and offer students, faculty and staff a convenient, economical and environmentally friendly alternative to owning a car.

Starting today, three self-service Zipcars -- two Toyota Matrixes and a Toyota Prius -- will be available for use 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The cars are located in three dedicated spots near Kryzsko Commons and Sheehan Hall and are available to all students and employees aged 18 and over. Gas, maintenance, insurance and reserved parking are included in the low hourly and daily rates.

Kurt Lohide, WSU Vice President for Finance and Administrative Services will kick off a special event, which will feature remarks from Winona Mayor Jerry Miller and WSU Student Senate President Caitlin Stene, as well as prizes and refreshments.

The partnership with Zipcar is part of the university's sustainability initiative, launched when WSU President Judith Ramaley signed the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment in 2007. Along with Zipcar, WSU will also offer a bike-sharing program this fall. Through the Purple Bike Rental Program, students and employees will be able to check out bikes, helmets and locks free of charge.

"Winona State University is committed to reducing its carbon footprint," said Ramaley. "Investing in alternative transportation is one facet of the university's overall approach to sustainability, and we're proud to partner with Zipcar to provide our community with a versatile alternative to personally-owned vehicles."

Zipcar provides students and employees the freedom of car ownership - 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/month or $7,200/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.

"Zipcar is a perfect solution for universities, giving people access to a car when they need one, without having to bring one to campus," said Matthew Malloy, Vice President of Global University Operations for Zipcar. "Winona will also make these cars available to community members, further promoting sustainability on and off campus."

Faculty, staff and students can join Zipcar for $35 and will receive a $35 driving credit for the first month of their membership. Zipcar members can drive for as little as $8 per hour or $66 per day on weekdays and $9 per hour or $72 per day on weekends. Local Winona residents ages 18 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 5,500 vehicles throughout the UK and North America.

More information, including how to sign up, is available online at: www.zipcar.com/winona.

Winona State is the first school in the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system to work with Zipcar, which was selected based on its superior technology platform, 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 University of Minnesota, MIT, Columbia, Georgetown, American University, Harvard University, University of Toronto, University of North Carolina, University of Chicago, UCLA and Amherst.

More information about Zipcar's university programs is available at www.zipcar.com/universities

About Winona State University

Founded in 1858, Winona State University is a comprehensive, regional public university with more than 8,000 students. The oldest member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System, WSU offers more than 80 undergraduate, pre-professional, licensure, graduate and doctorate programs on its three campuses: the original Main Campus in Winona, the West Campus in Winona, and Winona State University-Rochester. Winona State has been featured as one of America's 100 Best College Buys for quality and value for thirteen years in a row, has been named among the "Best in the Midwest" by The Princeton Review for the sixth consecutive year, and ranks 13th among top public institutions in the Midwest Region Master's Category in the 2009 edition of U.S. News & World Report's "America's Best Colleges." The university's mission is to educate and enlighten our citizenry at a distinctive institution: a community of learners improving our world. For more information, visit: www.winona.edu.

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.