The Zipcar vehicle-sharing service has attracted few students since its introduction in October 2005, but University officials have not yet given up on the program.
Only 55 people have signed up to become Zipcar members, said Transportation Manager Carleia Lighty, adding that administrators hope to raise awareness of the program through a marketing campaign this semester.
"More usage will be required to keep the program alive for next year, but it's very early and the program has just begun," Lighty said. "Students can trade their expensive parking spaces for Zipcar, but that's not what most people have done."
University officials will decide at the end of the semester whether to extend the program for the 2006-2007 academic year, Lighty said.
Brown guarantees Zipcar a minimum profit and compensates the company if the minimum usage level is not met. But Christine Laurence, manager of business development for Zipcar, said she predicts that the service will surpass that requirement.
The University might continue the program even if the minimum level of use is not met this year. "This is not all about profits. We'll try our best to keep it as another option," Lighty said.
Abigail Rider, director of real estate and administrative services, said she is optimistic that the program will continue next year. "It's a very worthwhile program, but we have no basis for making a projection. It depends on whether it will support itself," she said.
Lighty attributes the low level of interest to the program's inopportune arrival time around Thanksgiving and winter break, but she said she anticipates increased usage in the coming months.
A major reason Brown adopted the program was to curb traffic, but there is no evidence that congestion has been alleviated yet, Lighty said, adding that it may take more than just the two Zipcars currently offered to reduce traffic problems.
"I'd say it's gotten rid of a little traffic. It's been such a short time that it's hard for us to say accurately that it's made a big dent in the traffic for the parking situation," Lighty said.
Currently, two low-emission, satellite radio-equipped vehi-cles - a red Mazda 3 named Maxcy and a blue Toyota Matrix called Meiklejohn - are based in the parking lot behind Minden Hall. More cars may be added to the Zipcar fleet if demand increases in the future, Lighty said.
To rent a car, Brunonians over 21 with a good driving record must sign up on the company's Web site, www.zipcar.com/brown to receive a ZipCard, which allows them to reserve a car for several hours or for the day. At the designated time, the user swipes the ZipCard in front of a sensor on the windshield and the car's doors unlock. The driver must refill the tank before returning the car to the Minden parking lot, but Zipcar covers the cost of gas.
A Membership costs $30 a year, and each rental costs $8 per hour or $60 for the day, which also covers gas and insurance. The driver is allotted 125 miles per rental, with a $0.20 fee for each additional mile. Drivers incur a $25 per hour late fee on top of regular hourly charges.
Brown handles upkeep, wash and vacuum, but both cars have remained intact and clean, so far, Lighty said.
Laurence said she expects student interest to increase. "If you don't want to bring a car, it gives you a lot more freedom. Even if you drive your own car, you may want to take another car, and if you have to go to the grocery store or see to a medical emergency, you can just rush off without the expense or the hassle," she said.
Beth Adler '06, who lives off-campus and shares a car with three friends, said she thinks that the service may be more useful to younger students.
"We all use the car for grocery shopping, so (using the Zipcar service) for me is not really a necessity in any way," she said. "I know a lot of my friends are in the same position, but as an underclassmen, I might have invested in the service more because having a car on campus is really difficult."
However, many under-classmen are too young to use the service. Rider told The Herald that the service will not be extended to students below 21 due to the high cost of insurance.
Some students, though, see the benefit of Zipcar.
"It seems really convenient. You don't have to worry about a lot of things you have to worry about when you have a car. It seems possible that it might be troublesome if you calculate how much money one would spend," said Tebukozza Babumba '06.
