Getting a ride on and off cam­pus just got easier, as Colgate stu­dents, faculty and staff now have “wheels when they want them” with Zipcar’s car-sharing program. Colgate has teamed up with Zip­car to bring two cars to campus: a Ford Focus and a Honda Insight Hybrid. The cars are available on-demand 24/7 and can be reserved by the hour or day either online or via phone app. Zipcar, a car-sharing company founded in 2000, provides a pragmatic alternative to car rental and ownership that al­lows customers the freedom to take a car when they want it and return it when they are done. The program was launched on Colgate’s campus this past Tuesday.

“Colgate is one of our new schools launching this fall,” Zipcar’s Vice President of Com­munications Greg Winter said. “Colgate will be a two-car pro­gram. Both cars are located on Lally Lane, between the Hall of Presidents (HOP) and Dana Arts Center. Rates on the Honda start from $8 an hour and the Focus starts from $7 an hour thanks to the Ford program, and the first year annual fee is $25 for new members.”

Winter explained that Zipcar likes to name its vehicles.

“Both we, and our members, find it easier to track down the cars by naming them,” he said. Colgate just got the Insight Ivana (the 2011 Honda Insight) and the Fountain Focus (the 2012 Ford Focus)

Getting a ride on and off cam­pus just got easier, as Colgate stu­dents, faculty and staff now have “wheels when they want them” with Zipcar’s car-sharing program. Colgate has teamed up with Zip­car to bring two cars to campus: a Ford Focus and a Honda Insight Hybrid. The cars are available on-demand 24/7 and can be reserved by the hour or day either online or via phone app. Zipcar, a car-sharing company founded in 2000, provides a pragmatic alternative to car rental and ownership that al­lows customers the freedom to take a car when they want it and return it when they are done. The program was launched on Colgate’s campus this past Tuesday.

“Colgate is one of our new schools launching this fall,” Zipcar’s Vice President of Com­munications Greg Winter said. “Colgate will be a two-car pro­gram. Both cars are located on Lally Lane, between the Hall of Presidents (HOP) and Dana Arts Center. Rates on the Honda start from $8 an hour and the Focus starts from $7 an hour thanks to the Ford program, and the first year annual fee is $25 for new members.”

Winter explained that Zipcar likes to name its vehicles.

“Both we, and our members, find it easier to track down the cars by naming them,” he said. Colgate just got the Insight Ivana (the 2011 Honda Insight) and the Fountain Focus (the 2012 Ford Focus)

“The program works really well whether you’re talking about a huge campus mixed into a city or a closed, small liberal arts college,” Winter said. “It really translates well because a lot of students can’t bring cars on campus, but there are times when someone just needs to get stuff done, so this is perfect for that. For a spe­cific transportation purpose, it makes a lot of sense for a student.”

The new car-sharing program will not only benefit the students and faculty, but also the cam­pus, as Winter said that the program “frees up a lot of parking congestion and demand.”

Alex Restrepo, Col­gate senior and Student Government Associa­tion (SGA) policy coor­dinator on its executive board, was heavily in­volved in bringing Zipcar to campus.

“We wanted to give students more access and mobility on campus and allow them to explore central New York and Hamilton more,” Restrepo said. “But since a lot of kids, like ones from far away, don’t have cars on campus, we needed to find a program that worked for us. Zipcar gives students the access and the mobility to explore and take the occasional break from school.”

The SGA soon began to research which car-sharing company would be the most beneficial to the Colgate community.

“We really liked the program,” Restrepo said of Zipcar. “It helped that it was very environmentally friendly. They say that for every Zipcar implemented, there are 15 cars that are taken off the road, which reduces not only carbon footprint but also the manufac­tured goods needed to produce cars. Plus, all the cars are highly fuel efficient.”

Restrepo commented that the process of partnering with Zipcar took some time.

“We started in Oc­tober and then went through the process dur­ing the fall and the spring of last year,” Restrepo said. “We decided it would be best to wait un­til the fall of this school year to start off the pro­gram, so it’s officially launched this week.”

As to how Zipcar will be received by the Colgate community, Restrepo has few doubts.

“I feel like it’s a kind of program that really only has upsides,” he said. “At SGA, we really wanted to do something that would affect the most amount of students at once, and we feel like this is a great way.”

To sign up with Zipcar on Colgate’s cam­pus, go to www.zipcar.com/colgate or follow Zipcar on Facebook. Questions or concerns, e-mail [email protected].

Contact Amanda Golden at [email protected].