For those who do not have a car on campus, hitching a ride just became a lot easier. With the Enterprise CarShare program that was newly implemented on campus this year, students have the ability to rent a car as an alternative way to travel.
“It was originally started by a student,” said Parking and Transportation Services Manager Victor Hill of the program. “It was a Green Fund request made by a student who’d come from a different university with a similar program.”
Students were the ones who worked to have the program on campus, through Students for Sustainability, and approved by the Student Senate. Now the CarShare program is open to the use of students at UW-La Crosse.
The program consists of two cars on campus, one in the parking lot of Veterans Memorial Field and another in the lot out in front of the Rec Center. These cars are recognized by the Enterprise signs at their designated parking spots, as well as the Enterprise logo on their doors. Unlike other car rental programs, where the renter must be 21-years-old or older, any student of any age, (as long as they have a valid license), can rent either of the cars as long as they are signed up on the website and have the permission from a parent.
“Whether it’s for a student who doesn’t have a car on campus to run and get some errands, or a faculty member to go buy some supplies,” Hill said the cars are open for anyone to use.
Now, since the cars are a part of a rental system, the question of money hangs in the air, and for college students, money can, at times, be hard to come by. However, the fee for signing up to use the two cars has been dropped from $35 to $10. And Hill reported that under the hourly rental fee, which is $7.50, there are 200 miles per day and gas included, though the tank should be filled when it is returned. The option to rent the car overnight is also available, for $35.
“Maybe using the car three or four times is considerably cheaper than a parking pass,” Hill mentioned.
The rental service is done by making a reservation for the car on the Enterprise CarShare website with the account information that was set up. The car is unlocked by the membership card students who sign up will receive, and when it is no longer in use, the car is returned, locked and ready for the next person to use.
“It’s only been on campus for two months. It’s a little early to tell, but the response is good,” Hill reported. “We have hopes it’s going to be something to stay on campus.”
It should be noted that any damage or tickets received to the car during a reservation is dealt with by the member or driver, not the company or program.