CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Jan. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- University of New Mexico and Zipcar, the world's largest car sharing service, today announced a joint partnership to provide Zipcars on campus to university faculty, staff, and students as an environmentally friendly alternative to the costs and hassles of keeping a car on campus. The partnership continues University of New Mexico's commitment to invest in sustainable solutions on campus and marks Zipcar's entry into New Mexico, bringing its operations to more than 50 cities, including London, England, and operations in 26 North American states and provinces.
Beginning today, five self-service Zipcars -- three Honda Civics, a Toyota Sienna Minivan, and a MINI Cooper -- will be available for use 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The cars will be located throughout campus and are available to all staff and students aged 18+, with gas, maintenance, insurance and reserved parking included in low hourly and daily rates. Zipcar was selected as University of New Mexico'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.
"Our partnership with Zipcar strengthens our commitment to provide members of the UNM community with flexible, environmentally-friendly alternative transportation options," said Clovis Acosta, director of Parking and Transportation Services. "We look forward to working with Zipcar to develop the university's car sharing initiative and to provide our students, staff and faculty with a solution that best matches their needs."
The program with Zipcar is the latest in a series of initiatives by the university to address campus parking, transportation needs, and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Previous to the Zipcar agreement, UNM worked with the city of Albuquerque to ensure that students ride the Albuquerque bus system for free. The department has also provided a vanpool service for those interested in commuting to campus and provided bicycle lockers around campus for those arriving at work or school by bike.
For university students who cannot or do not want to bring a privately- owned car to school, Zipcar provides the freedom to travel off campus to attend interviews, run errands, or take a weekend trip. Zipcar also eliminates hundreds of dollars in monthly transportation costs, saving members an average of $436/month or $5,232/year when compared with car ownership -- money that can be put toward other more relevant expenses such as tuition and housing.
Faculty, staff, and students will be able to join Zipcar for $35 and will gain access to University of New Mexico Zipcars for as little as $9 per hour or $66 per day, including gas, insurance, designated parking, and vehicle maintenance. As a special promotion, the $35 sign up fee will be waived for anyone who joins during the next 90-days. All members 21+ will also have access to Zipcar's network of more than 5,500 vehicles throughout the UK and North America.
Among the dozens of colleges that have partnered with Zipcar to reduce traffic, noise and parking demands are MIT, Columbia, Georgetown, Ohio State, Arizona State University, American University, Harvard University, University of Minnesota, University of Toronto, University of North Carolina and The University of Chicago.
Contacts:
Kristina Kennedy
Zipcar
617-429-2799 (mobile)
KKennedy@zipcar.com
Aprill O. Turner
CooperKatz & Co.
212-455-8016
aturner@cooperkatz.com