 Zipcar offers Boston College students another transportation option at an affordable price. [Click to enlarge]
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With parking availability tight on campuses, college students often find themselves without cars as a means of transportation. With this in mind, Zipcar, a car rental service founded in 1999, has brought its service to Boston, New York, and Washington, D.C. in hopes of providing a unique option to students.
"It's simple, convenient access to cars that are strategically placed all around town at a great price," said Matt Malloy, Zipcar's vice president of marketing. "When you think about it, it's having all the luxuries of owning a car without having to deal with the problems associated with owning a car."
The first step to using this service is registration, which college students may obtain for a discounted price of $25 per year, with no security deposit or application fee. Each member is then given a "Zipcard," which is the size of a standard credit card. The Zipcard contains computer chips which send signals back to Zipcar's service, enabling members to unlock cars after rental.
When one wishes to rent a car, they simply make a reservation at www.zipcar.com and then use the Zipcard to gain access to cars which are placed at various locations in the Boston area. For Boston College students, there is one Zipcar located conveniently on campus, with others in areas such as Sutherland Road and Strathmore Road. The cars can be driven anywhere - even into Canada - for as long as the renter would like. There are hourly and daily rates attached to the rentals, which vary depending on which kind of vehicle one rents.
An added perk for students is that Zipcar - unlike many car rental dealerships - does not require the renter to be 25 years old. The age requirement for Zipcar is 21 years old. "People say that they don't rent to people under the age of 25 because they are more prone to accidents. We've been in business for five years, and we have not seen a difference in accident rates, and so I don't know if other dealerships are trying to gouge people, but we don't see a difference," said Malloy.
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