You may have noticed the snazzy posters around campus advertising Zipcars— they say something to the effect of “Don’t Beg the Kid With the Car, Be the Kid With the Car.”  Well, now you can be!  At a little before noon today a small crowd of people gathered in the area between Usdan and North College to officially launch the Zipcar car-sharing service at Wesleyan.

If you have no idea what I’m talking about, check out this archive of the October 13th edition of Argus News Radio, which features my interview with WSA member Ben Firke ’12, the guy responsible for bringing Zipcars to Wesleyan.  To hear Firke explain what Zipcars are and how they work, listen up: Argus News Radio 10.13.09.

Alternatively, here’s what the WSA had to say about the service in a recent all-campus email:

As part of the continuing effort to “burst the Wesleyan bubble,” Zipcar, the world’s largest car sharing service, has arrived on campus.  The permanent parking location for the cars is behind the Allbritton Center–a Toyota Prius and a Honda Civic are both available for use now!

Zipcar provides you with a convenient, economical and environmentally-friendly alternative to having a car on campus. Simply stated, its wheels when you want them––self-service cars you can use by the hour or day. Zipcar provides you the freedom of car ownership – the ability to get off campus for errands, entertainment or road trips – without the cost and hassle of owning a car. All reservations include fuel, insurance, parking, roadside assistance and 180 free miles per day of a reservation.So––how do you join and what does it cost? All students (18+) can join Zipcar for only $35/year! You’ll also get $35 in free driving credit in your first month of membership. Reservations also include a low hourly or daily rate starting at $8 an hour or $66 a day.

For more information, and to join, go to www.zipcar.com/wesleyan This is an exciting new way to get off campus and we hope that students will take advantage of this great opportunity.

About gpalmer

Gianna Palmer is a senior English and Sociology major from Eugene, Oregon. At Wesleyan, Gianna has written for the Argus and Wesleying, and tutored through the Writing Workshop. Outside of Wesleyan, Gianna has interned/written for Preservation Magazine in Washington, D.C. and the New York Daily News. Besides heading up the Blargus, Gianna is keeping busy her senior year by doling out funds as a member of the Student Budget Committee, dancing in student-choreographed pieces and scoping out the class of 2014 as a senior interviewer in the Admissions Office.