Caltech Launches Zipcar Car Sharing Program on Campus

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

PASADENA, Calif., Oct. 20 -- Zipcar, the world's largest car sharing service, and the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) announce the launch of Zipcar's car-sharing program on the Caltech campus today. The program will help Caltech reduce demand for parking and associated congestion and extend Caltech's commitment to sustainability while offering students and faculty a convenient, economical and environmentally friendly alternative to owning a car.

Beginning today, two self-service Zipcars - one Toyota Prius, and one Toyota Matrix - will be available for use 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The cars are located in reserved spaces on San Pasqual Street in front of Braun building and they are available to all staff and students aged 18 and over. Gas, insurance, 180 free miles, roadside assistance and reserved parking are included in low hourly and daily rates.

Faculty, staff, and students can 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. Students 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.

"Caltech's sustainability program is focused on enhancing Caltech's core mission of research and education by reducing Caltech's environmental impact and promoting stewardship within the Caltech community," said John Onderdonk, Manager for Sustainability Programs at Caltech. "Investing in alternative transportation is one facet of our overall approach to sustainability, and we're proud to partner with Zipcar to provide our community with a versatile alternative to personally-owned vehicles."

Caltech's announcement also comes soon after Zipcar and the City of Los Angeles recently began a program bringing 12 Zipcars to neighborhoods surrounding other local universities. Pasadena's Mayor Bill Bogaard, a supporter of car sharing and other alternative transportation options, praised Caltech's partnership with Zipcar.

"Caltech's dedication to improving the sustainability of their campus is raising the bar for our entire community," said Bogaard. "The City fully supports the Zipcar partnership and we look forward to working with Caltech and Zipcar to continue to improve our city."

For students, Zipcar offers the freedom of car ownership without the associated cost and hassle of owning a car. Like buying music by the song, today's students immediately see the benefit of paying for a car by the hour. They also love saving hundreds of dollars per month on car payments. They see Zipcar, which is consistently ranked alongside other leading brands like Google, Apple and Twitter, as a brand that understands them. Best of all, Zipcar provides comprehensive insurance to students as young as 18, with coverage that exceeds state minimums.

For universities, Zipcar offers a practical and proven solution to managing demand for parking, reducing congestion and emissions and adding a lifestyle-oriented service to campus. Studies have shown the cost of a single parking spot ranges from $4,000 to $40,000 per spot, depending on whether it's an outdoor surface lot or underground garage. Since each Zipcar replaces 14 personally-owned vehicles, a university could reduce the need for up to 28 spots costing up to $1.1 million by just putting two Zipcars on campus.

Zipcar was selected as Caltech'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.

Zipcar, which has been offering campus car sharing since 2002, now has programs at more than 140 colleges and universities across the country. Among the dozens of colleges that have partnered with Zipcar to reduce traffic, noise and parking demands are MIT, Columbia, Georgetown, Arizona State University, University of Michigan, Harvard, USC, University of Minnesota, University of Toronto, University of North Carolina, The University of Chicago, and UCLA.

More information about Zipcar at Caltech including the online membership application is available at www.zipcar.com/caltech.

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 26 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 .