University departments interested in saving money and encouraging their staff to use more sustainable means of transportation can now register for a departmental Zipcar membership, billing the hours of use directly to a P-card. This arrangement is particularly beneficial for people who bike, walk, or use transit to get to campus–but need a car on occasion to accomplish work-related tasks. Departments obtain a Zipcar membership without paying any sort of initial or annual fee, and can then save money relative to car rental or owning and operating a fleet vehicle. All registered members of the department can use the Zipcar for business purposes.
The goal of the departmental Zipcar program, according to Transportation Options Director Holly Parker, is for a participating department to save time and money on rental cars and taxis for business travel and/or get rid of a fleet car. This goal is already being realized with testimonials from participating departments such as: “We just had a [Zipcar] rental for a client meeting in the Long Wharf area, the cost was $14. An Enterprise rental would have been around $90. They don’t do anything less than a full day. Even a taxi would be more than $14. I would say we will be saving quite a lot.” By facilitating participation in carsharing, Transportation Options and Zipcar encourage more thoughtful vehicle use and the option to shed the $5,636 - $11,721 worth of expense AAA estimates is incurred annually on private car ownership.
For more information on Zipcar membership for departments and individuals, or to sign up to participate, visit the Transportation Options website.