Got Wheels?

Dickinson rolls out Zipcars

September 15, 2009

Zipcar members Andrew Kamerosky ’10, left, of Blue Bell, Pa., and Shavonda Guilford 10, of Philadelphia, with one of the two 2009 Prius hybrids available to students and employees.

Cynthia Polasko ’10 of Albuquerque, N.M., signed up with Zipcar after giving up her search for a used car. Andrew Kamerosky ’10 of Blue Bell, Pa., joined since he only needs a vehicle a couple of times a semester. And Shavonda Guilford ’10 of Philadelphia summed up her membership with a succinct blend of simplicity and sustainability: “It’s quick, easy, cheap and good for the environment.”

They’re among the growing list of Dickinsonians already registered with the college’s new Zipcar program, which features two 2009 fuel-efficient Toyota Prius hybrids that are available to students and employees on an hourly or daily basis.

The vehicles, which get approximately 50 miles per gallon, can be reserved online and are parked in designated spaces outside Kaufman Hall at West Louther and Cherry streets. There is an annual fee of $35, which is returned in the form of a driving credit valid for up to 30 days after joining.

Free gas

The cost to use a car is $8 an hour or $66 a day (any 24-hour period) on weekdays and $9 an hour and $72 a day on weekends. There is no additional charge for gasoline if you drive less than 180 miles a day. An additional fee of 45 cents a gallon will be charged for each mile driven over 180 miles during a 24-hour period.

Polasko recently checked out used cars at a dealership near Pittsburgh only to find nothing suitable with her $5,000 budget. The thought of registering the car in New Mexico didn't appeal to her either, so she looked into Zipcars when she read about them in a campus e-mail.

“The Zipcars seemed to eliminate a lot of hassle, and they'll also let me get to Target when my roommate can’t drive me,” said Polasko, a political-science major. “I think the program is a really good idea, especially out here in Carlisle where it's handy to have a car if you want to get anywhere besides Wal-Mart.”

Kamerosky, an environmental-studies major, looks forward to making occasional trips.

‘A little freedom’

“The idea of a vehicle that you can use when needed but not have to deal with its care and insurance is appealing,” he said. “For me to have a car on campus would be far too expensive and difficult when I would only use it a few times over the year. With the Zipcar I am able to make trips to visit my family, go see concerts and in general have a little freedom to explore.”

Zipcar deploys similar common-sense logic in its brochure, asking potential members, Don't think you have a reason to use Zipcar? Here are a few: You only have to be 18 to join. You won’t need to work all summer just to pay for your car. Visit the parents, before they come to visit you. Save the planet and money at the same time. Free gas. Need we say more?

“I signed up for Zipcar because I wanted to have the convenience of having a car on campus without actually having to own my own car or having to bring my car to campus,” said Guilford, a sociology and anthropology major. “With Zipcar you do not have to worry about gas, parking, maintenance or any of the other things you have to worry about with car ownership.”

Zipcar estimates that each of its vehicles takes 15 to 20 personally owned vehicles off the road, and that after joining the program, 90 percent of its members drive 5,500 miles or less a year. The members save $500 a month compared with motorists who own their own cars, according to Zipcar, adding, “Many Zipsters put it back into their communities by buying local sustainable products.”