 "Photo: Jonathan Armenti/The Observer")
 "Photo: N/A")
Are you in the mood to take a road trip with friends? Do you get sick of lugging heavy bags home from college to visit your family? Have you recently been turned down by a rental car company because they claim you’re too young? Or maybe you just have the urge to drive a super chic new ride for an hour or two?
If you’ve answered yes to any of these questions, Zipcars may be the answer to your prayers.
Zipcar is a system of car sharing.With Zipcar locations in 28 states and over 50 cities throughout the U.S., a driver can pick up a car in his or her starting point and leave the car at its destination for the next driver to pick up.
Cool idea. But why Does Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) care?
First of all, the minimum age to rent a Zipcar is 21, unlike most rental car companies who deny you until you’re 25, which means some of us can actually use them. With 1,496 Zipcar vehicles in New York and New Jersey, 34 of them are within .5 miles of FCLC, making them a convenient option for students in a bind.
Not only is the age limit lower, but so is the registration time. You start by searching for your Zipcar online by entering your current location, then viewing each car’s online profile (kind of like online dating). Depending on your needs, you can get everything from a super compact Mini Cooper Convertible fit for cruising, to a spacious, cargo carrying Toyota Tacoma pick-up for moving your band’s equipment downtown.
Once you’ve found the Zipcar of your dreams, it’s time to officially become a “Zipster.” When you register online for an annual fee of $50 dollars, you receive your “zip card” in the mail shortly after. One online reservation later, and you can take your card to the Zipcar of your choice, hold your “zip card” up to your designated car, and you and your Zipcar can cruise at an hourly rate of $11 an hour or for a day rate of $77, insurance and gas included.
While this new mode of transportation sounds ideal, FCLC students aren’t completely convinced Zipcars are right for them.
Anthony Elder, FCLC ’11, is a New York City native who is well aware of all the cons that come with driving in the city.
“I probably wouldn’t consider renting one, even for an outing. If that were the case, I’d just use my own car, which is at my house in Brooklyn. The novelty of driving a convertible with the top down kind of wears off when the fastest you’re going is like 20 miles per hour from one red light to the next. I don’t think this will catch on.”
Raymond Saada, FCLC ’11, admitted that while he won’t be switching his mode of transportation to Zipcars, they can still benefit him in certain situations.
“I don’t realistically think I’d use one to move home for the summer, but perhaps for an out-of-state gig. If no one in my band could get a car big enough, a Zip-van could actually work exactly for our needs, especially since you just drop it off where you found it and move on. It’s the benefits of a car in the city without the burden of a car in the city.”
Sarah Culha, FCLC ’10, thinks that Zipcars would be a great way to change up her normal mode of transportation.
“I definitely would consider using Zipcars because it is really affordable. I am from a suburb originally, so I love to drive. You get used to walking and public transportation when you live in Manhattan but there are some days where you just want to get behind a wheel and drive down the Westside Highway,” said Culha. “It’s also a hassle having to lug around your belongings when using public transportation and the Zipcar would eliminate that issue.”
Culha also recognized the opportunity for travel that the Zipcar provides FCLC students.
“It would be great to take one down to the shore or Atlantic City and get away from Manhattan for a day or two. I would definitely rent one during the summer to drive to Brooklyn or Queens or even to Hoboken. If you rent one with some friends it seems like an affordable means of doing some ‘close but far enough to drive’ traveling.”
Zipcars are quickly becoming the choice form of transportation for college students on campuses where modes of transportation are limited. Zipcar has even began partnering up with universities across the country, granting a lower age limit (18 years) and discounted student rates in return for parking, co-marketing support, and campus staff to ensure the Zipcar program runs smoothly.
With the Zipcar movement quickly picking up speed, FCLC students may soon see the day when picking up a Zipcar at the corner of Columbus is as common as grabbing a bagel at Alan’s before class.
Be the first to comment on this article!