New program aims to reduce parking demand by offering convenient, cost-effective

and environmentally friendly alternative to owning a car  

Today, Wayne State University launched a new partnership with Zipcar, Inc., the world’s leading car-sharing network, to offer a Zipcar car-sharing program on campus. The cost-effective and convenient transportation option is now available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to students, faculty members and staff members age 18 and older. Wayne State University students, faculty and staff can join today at www.zipcar.com/wayne.   

Wayne State University members pay a $25 annual fee, and rates on all Zipcars start as low as $7 per hour and $66 per day. Gas, insurance, reserved parking spots, up to 180 miles of driving per day and roadside assistance are included in the hourly and daily Zipcar rates. Cars can be reserved for as little as an hour or for multiple days.

“Zipcar provides low-cost, accessible car-sharing in many cities across the country, and we look forward to our students, faculty and staff having even greater access to all Detroit has to offer,” said Timothy L. Michael, associate vice president of business and auxiliary operations and chief housing officer. “Zipcar will make it even easier to live on campus without the need for a personal automobile, in turn helping mitigate  the high volume of traffic and limited parking in Midtown.”

To start, Wayne State University will offer two vehicles, which will be located in parking structure #8, located at 91 W. Forest Ave, between Cass and Woodward avenues, and in parking lot #41, located at 5211 Anthony Wayne Drive. Zipcars are self-service and can be easily reserved and accessed 24 hours a day. Participating members with smartphones, including iPhones and Android devices, may download the Zipcar mobile applications to make reservations, lock and unlock the vehicles, as well as honk the horn to help locate the vehicle.  Reservations can also be made over the phone or by using the Zipcar website.  

“Bringing Zipcar to Wayne State University will help reduce congestion and the demand for parking on campus, in addition to providing convenience, flexibility and cost savings to members,” said Mark Norman, Zipcar president and chief operating officer. “Zipcar also offers environmental benefits and can help Wayne State reduce its carbon footprint. National studies have shown that each car shared takes 15 privately owned vehicles off the road, and that vehicle miles traveled per driver are reduced almost 50 percent when car owners switch to car sharing.”

“As a student without a car in Detroit, it is great to have different options to get around town,” said Jeremy Whiting, a member of WSU’s Office of Campus Sustainability. “Zipcar will be so easy to use, especially since it will be located right in Midtown, and it’ll be great for longer trips or for running errands for a couple hours.”

Zipcar has established partnerships with more than 230 universities, including University of Michigan, Michigan State University and Indiana University. For more information, including how to become a member of Zipcar at Wayne State University, visit www.zipcar.com/wayne.

About Zipcar
Zipcar is the world’s leading car-sharing service with more than 605,000 members and more than 9,000 vehicles in urban areas and college campuses throughout the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Zipcar offers more than 30 makes and models of self-service vehicles by the hour or day to residents and businesses looking for an alternative to the high costs and hassles of owning a car. More information is available at www.zipcar.com.

Zipcar and the Zipcar logo are trademarks of Zipcar, Inc.