Colorado State University and Zipcar Announce Partnership to Benefit Students, Employees

Note to Reporters: Zipcar is on the Lory Student Center Plaza until 4 p.m. today, Sept. 13, and from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. tomorrow, Sept. 14, to answer questions and allow the CSU community to view the cars.

Colorado State University today launched a new partnership with Zipcar Inc., the world’s leading car sharing network, to offer a Zipcar car sharing program on campus.

The cost-effective and convenient transportation option is now available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to all students and employees ages 18 and older, as well as members of the local community ages 21 and older. Colorado State University students, employees and local community members can join today at Zipcar.com/colostate.

As part of the partnership, Colorado State University members pay a $35 annual fee, and rates on all Zipcars start as low as $8 per hour and $66 per day. Gas, insurance, reserved parking spots in prime locations on campus, up to 180 miles of driving per day and roadside assistance are included in the hourly and daily Zipcar rates. Cars can be reserved for as little as an hour or for multiple days.

“CSU’s partnership with Zipcar is a great solution for students and employees. It offers a green, convenient and low-cost service to students who may not have a car on campus—and to new students who may decide not to bring a car to CSU because Zipcars are available. It also is a great service to our employees who may need transportation to a meeting off campus,” said Amy Parsons, vice president for operations at CSU. “We are thrilled to offer such an innovative option to our community.”

Colorado State University will offer 5 vehicles to start. Two cars will be in the parking lot at the north end of Braiden Drive, by the west side of Eddy Hall. Three cars will be in the Engineering parking lot, just north of the entrance to the Lory Student Center. Zipcars are self service and can be easily reserved and accessed 24 hours a day online. Participating members with smartphones, including iPhones and Android devices, may make reservations by downloading the Zipcar mobile applications, which can also be used to lock and unlock the vehicles, as well as honk the horn to facilitate the location of a vehicle. Reservations can also be made over the phone or by using the Zipcar website.

“Cost-savings, convenience, reduced demand for parking and less congestion on campus are just some of the benefits that we are confident the Colorado State University community will experience by having Zipcar on campus,” said Mark Norman, Zipcar president and chief operating officer. “Since every Zipcar takes approximately 15 privately owned vehicles off the road, Zipcar can also help the campus reduce its overall carbon footprint and impact on the environment, helping to support the school’s sustainability goals.”

“For students who don’t own vehicles, or don’t have the ability to pay for a parking permit, registration and insurance on their vehicles, having Zipcar on campus is a convenient service,” said Eric Berlinberg, president of the Associated Students of Colorado State University. “Students, or parents, can reserve the car online for a specific timeframe, walk up to the car and be on their way. With students having difficult times paying bills and tuition, a convenient, low-cost, short term car rental service adds another way that CSU is helping to accommodate all student’s financial situations and arrangements.”

Zipcar has established partnerships with more than 230 universities. For more information, including how to become a member of Zipcar at Colorado State University, visit Zipcar.com/colostate.

Zipcar is the world’s leading car-sharing service with more than 605,000 members and more than 9,000 vehicles in urban areas and college campuses throughout the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Zipcar offers more than 30 makes and models of self-service vehicles by the hour or day to residents and businesses looking for an alternative to the high costs and hassles of owning a car.

More information is available at www.zipcar.com. Zipcar and the Zipcar logo are trademarks of Zipcar, Inc.

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