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Honda Civic Hybrid, courtesy of Honda Motor Company
Need to run some errands or do some shopping? Want to take a weekend trip to visit friends or family? With the new UHaulCarShare program coming to campus this fall, members of the Lafayette community will have a new option for getting around without the expense of having a personal car.
In addition to being convenient, the car share program supports Lafayette’s strategic objectives to become a greener, more pedestrian-friendly campus. Between the expanded LCAT Shuttle Service and the new UHaulCarShare Program, students should have less need to bring cars to campus, thus reducing the College’s overall carbon footprint.
“The program is intended to provide a significant convenience to members of the Lafayette community,” says Mitchell Wein, vice president for finance and administration. “We also are supporting the College’s important sustainability efforts.”
The idea for the car sharing program was suggested by civil engineering major Brian Peacock ’12. The College’s Sustainability Committee liked the idea and decided to implement it on campus. The program is initiated by the Finance and Administration Division.
Two cars, most likely a Honda Civic Hybrid and a Scion XB, will be parked in designated spots in the March Field parking lot. These vehicles will be available to rent at any time through UHaulCarShare’s online reservation system. Once the program is operational, anyone interested in having access to the vehicles can enroll online at www.uhaulcarshare.com.
Once a car is reserved, the user will simply enter his or her personal access code onto a keypad on the car’s door to unlock it; the ignition keys are tethered inside the cars. Users are expected to return the car as scheduled to the designated location.
There is a $25 one time registration fee to join, and rent for the vehicles will be charged to the user’s credit card according to hourly or daily rates set by UHaulCarShare. UhaulCarShare pays for insurance and gas and takes care of all maintenance.
Participating in the program is an easy—and convenient—way to go green.
The newer vehicles, including a hybrid car, provided by the car sharing program are generally more fuel efficient than personally owned vehicles. Car sharing programs are estimated to result in less driving than when vehicles are personally owned. Also, fewer cars on campus should diminish demand for limited on-campus parking spaces.
“By participating, students can help protect the environment while alleviating the financial obligations associated with buying, insuring, and maintaining a car,” says Wein. “We think students will really appreciate this program.”