Your kid goes off to college and their on their own for the first time. There's enough to think about without the added responsibility of having to care for a car on campus but a car can be helpful. So what do you do? There’s a new trend that helps kids stay on the go without the hassle.
College student Aaron Marcus doesn't have his own set of wheels on campus but, that doesn't slow him down when he needs to run an errand off campus. Now, he simply rents a car by the hour.
"If you need to go to the grocery store, you need to get away from the dining hall food for a few days, or you need to go out and get a haircut. It's a great idea," Marcus says.
It's all possible thanks to a new trend called car sharing. Companies like
Flexcar and
Zipcar are striking deals with universities across the country. Students must become members to take advantage of the program.
"You go online, you pick the car you want, and you see if its available. You reserve it," marcus says.
The companies park rental cars at various locations on campus. Members are given a security card that unlocks the doors. The key is found in the glove compartment.
"You have a variety of cars to choose from. So if you need a pick up truck one day to go to IKEA and pick up some furniture, you can do that. If you just need a Honda Civic or something, you can rent it. Maybe four people can even go in on the cost of it," says Liz Wattenberg with Flexcar.
When students are finished driving the car, they simply leave it in the same parking spot where they found it.
"You have to leave it in at least the condition you found it in. You have to call us if you are going to be returning it late," says Wattenberg.
The cost is around $25 to $35 for an annual membership plus $6 to $12 per hour to rent the car, gas included!
Mike Mandl is with Emory University. He says like many schools, Emory hopes car sharing will ease the parking crunch that exists on campus.
"This year there were close to 900 fewer requests, fewer purchases of parking passes by students versus last year," Mandl says.
As for Aaron, he says car sharing is the way to go. "Without having a car down here, I definitely will be using it."
To become members, students must have a good driving record, attend an affiliated university, and be on their parents' insurance.
FlexCar
