The cost-effective and convenient transportation option is now available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to all students, faculty and staff members ages 18 and older, as well as members of the local community ages 21 and over. Humboldt State University students, faculty, staff and local community members can join today at www.zipcar.com/humboldtstate.
Humboldt State members pay a $35 annual fee, and rates on campus Zipcar vehicles start as low as $8 per hour and $66 per day. Gas, insurance, reserved parking spots, 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.
“Humboldt State’s commitment to sustainability is evident in many ways, depending on how people visit or interact with the university. The Zipcar program will be something that is very visible to almost everyone, both by the physical location of the cars and how it can be used by the entire campus and surrounding community,” said TallChief Comet, Sustainability Office Director. “The program will truly provide a turn-key transportation option for anyone needing only periodic use of a vehicle and it will contribute to the university reducing its carbon footprint in several ways.”
Humboldt State will offer two Zipcars to start, which will be located at Library Circle on campus. Zipcars are self-service and can be easily reserved and accessed 24 hours a day. Participating members with smartphones, including iPhones and Android devices, may download the Zipcar mobile applications to make reservations, lock and unlock the vehicles as well as honk the horn to help locate the vehicle. Reservations can also be made over the phone or by using the Zipcar website.
“I believe the Zipcar program will be an affordable and reliable alternative for students, who have historically brought their cars to campus and paid for a parking permit, just to have them sit for a majority of the semester,” said Lynne Soderberg, Lieutenant with the University Police Department. “This program can reduce the number of cars on campus, thus potentially improving the parking space search for those who do need to bring a car. Zipcar is a welcome addition to the alternative transportation programs currently provided on campus.”
In addition to convenience and cost savings for members, there are environmental benefits to having a car sharing program on campus. Studies have shown that each car shared takes 15 privately owned vehicles off the road and that drivers reduce their miles traveled per trip by almost 50 percent when car sharing, says Mark Norman, Zipcar president and COO.
By launching the Zipcar program on campus, Humboldt State is augmenting its commitment to alternative transportation. Other programs include the JackPass program that offers free bus rides to students with valid student ID, weekend shuttles from Housing for on-campus residents, free day parking for carpools of three or more passengers and the annual “Car Free Day,” during which students are encouraged to use alternative transportation.
Start-up funding came from the Humboldt Loyalty Fund and the Parent & Family Fund, which are made up of donations from thousands of alumni and family members.
“By bringing Zipcar to campus, Humboldt is keeping up with its record of sustainability and awareness about the environmental impacts of transportation,” said Bryan Kelly, Associated Students president. “We’re moving in the right direction to develop more programs and services to meet students’ needs, budgets and lifestyles. I think it's going to be a huge hit. Students will see the benefits right away.”
Zipcar has established partnerships with more than 230 universities in North America, including University of California, Berkeley; Stanford University and the University of Southern California. For more information, including how to become a member of Zipcar at Humboldt State, please visit www.zipcar.com/humboldtstate.