Yale Campus Debuts Car Sharing

Yale Campus Debuts Car Sharing



2007 September -   Yale and Zipcar, the 
world's largest car-sharing service, have begun a partnership to provide 
Zipcars as an environmentally friendly alternative to the cost of keeping 
a car on campus. 
Six self-service Zipcars, including three Toyota Prius hybrids, are 
available for rent around the clock. The cars, which are located in five 
university locations, may be used by all staff and students aged 18 and 
over. 
"Zipcar's on-campus program allows us to provide our students, faculty and 
staff with access to a vehicle when they need one, and helps the 
university achieve its goal of reducing the number of single-occupant 
vehicles on campus," says Janet Lindner, associate vice president for 
administration at Yale. 
"We look forward to working with Zipcar to introduce our community to 
car-sharing as a sustainable alternative to bringing a privately owned car 
to campus, and growing the program as people realize how easy it is to 
use," she said. 
Lindner says the introduction of car sharing to campus is part of a larger 
initiative to provide more sustainable transportation options to the 
university community. 
Yale has made a commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 10 
percent below 1990 levels by 2020, and plans to launch new incentives for 
members of the Yale community to bicycle, walk, ride mass transit, or use 
car and van pools to get to and from campus. 
Yale currently offers a Guaranteed Ride Home Program and discounted 
parking to carpoolers and provides free local transit via its campus 
shuttle system to the university community. 
Global Positioning System devices added to Yale shuttle vehicles allow 
users to track them along their route in real time, making it more 
convenient to use the shuttle. 
For faculty, staff and students, Zipcar is a cost-effective alternative to 
driving alone to campus, and paying for parking, according to Holly 
Parker, Yale's director of sustainable transportation systems. She says 
Zipcar gives all members of the Yale community the freedom to travel off 
campus to run errands or take a weekend trip, without having to pay to 
park, maintain and insure a vehicle. 
Zipcars allow people who come to campus on transit, on foot or by bicycle 
additional mobility once they are on campus. "It's an ideal solution for a 
campus setting," Parker says of the car-sharing program. "We want to 
reduce Yale's impact on the environment, and we're giving people the tools 
they need to participate in the effort." 
Faculty, staff and students may join Zipcar for $35, and have access to 
Yale Zipcars for $8.50 per hour or $65 per day. The rates include the cost 
of gas, maintenance and insurance. The membership cost may be applied to 
rental costs during the first month of membership. 
Those under 21 must have two year's driving experience and a clean driving 
record. For those over age 21, membership also provides access to the 
network of 3,500 Zipcars in North America and the United Kingdom.
 
To become a Zipcar member or to learn more about Yale's Zipcar Program, 
visit www.zipcar.com/yale. 

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