Carnegie Mellon University and Zipcar this week announced a joint partnership to provide Zipcars on campus to university faculty, staff, and students as an environmentally friendly alternative to the costs and hassles of keeping a car on campus.

The partnership continues Carnegie Mellon's commitment to invest in sustainable solutions on campus and marks.

Beginning this week, two self-service Zipcars -- a Toyota Hybrid Prius and a Mazda 3 -- will be available for use 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The cars will be located in the University's East Campus Garage and be available to all staff and students aged 18+, with gas, maintenance, insurance and reserved parking included in low hourly and daily rates.

"The partnership with Zipcar provides us with a sustainable program to address campus parking and transportation needs while providing students with flexible alternate transportation," said Tim Michael, assistant vice president for campus services at Carnegie Mellon. "We look forward to working with Zipcar to develop the university's car sharing initiative and to help provide members of our campus community with a solution that best matches their needs."

The Zipcar relationship furthers Carnegie Mellon's reputation as an environmental leader. Home to the country's first "green dorm," the university has been recognized internationally for its leadership in environmental sustainability research and green practices, including its use of renewable resources on campus and its comprehensive recycling program.

Faculty, staff, and students will be able to join Zipcar for $35 and will gain access to Carnegie Mellon Zipcars for $7 per hour or $55 per day. All members 21+ will also have access to Zipcar's network of more than 3,000 vehicles throughout the UK and North America.

For more information, visit the CMU Zipcar webpage.

8/31/2007