by Shane Henson — September 9, 2011—Administrators and higher education personnel nationwide searching for a way to curb congestion in the limited parking spaces on their campuses by reducing the number of students with cars may find their answer through a new alliance between the Zipcar Inc. global car-sharing network and Ford Motor Company.
The companies are teaming up to help make transportation more affordable, fun and sustainable for students at more than 250 university campuses throughout the United States. The recently announced two-year alliance establishes Ford as the largest automotive source in Zipcar’s university program. Ford vehicles, primarily the fuel-efficient 2012 Ford Focus and the 2012 Ford Escape, have started arriving on university campuses, and may help reduce the number of students needing to bring their own cars on campus.
“Today’s students are thinking differently about driving and transportation than they have in the past,” said Bill Ford, executive chairman of Ford Motor Company. “This program enables today’s new drivers to experience our latest fuel-efficient vehicles, while helping them reduce their cost of living and help relieve congestion on campus. We’re looking forward to making Ford a staple of their college experience.”
Thanks to Ford, Zipcar will offer $10 off the $35 annual membership fee for the first 100,000 new university members who sign up for Zipcar, plus $1 off the hourly rate for the first 1 million hours of use on any of the new Ford vehicles at select colleges and universities. The program, which could generate 2 million hours behind the wheel of Ford vehicles for college-age drivers, also helps reduce parking demand, congestion and emissions, forming an important component of campus sustainability initiatives.
Zipcar has already established partnerships with more than 250 universities throughout North America, including the University of Southern California, the University of CaliforniaBerkeley, Loyola Marymount University, Florida State University, the University of Michigan, Michigan State University and George Washington University, among others.
