The University’s Office of Transportation & Parking Services announced last Thursday that it is partnering with WeCar to offer car rentals to University students. The service competes with Zipcar, which offers the same service but is only for those over 21 years old.
Membership in WeCar, which requires a $20 application fee and a $40 annual fee, will allow students to rent a Toyota Prius for $8 per hour or $42 per day. Surcharges are added after driving 200 miles during a car-share period. Fuel and basic protection are also included.
WeCar competes with Zipcar, which requires a $20 annual fee and charges $8 per hour, $77 for a weekday and $115 for a weekend day.
WeCar members can use one of four cars, which are parked at Frist Campus Center, the Graduate College, Hibben-Magie Apartments and Lot 21.
Andrea DeRose, manager of the University’s Transportation Demand Management, said the service will reduce “the need for personal vehicles to meet off-campus transportation needs” and will help achieve the University’s goal of decreasing the number of cars commuting to campus each day by 10 percent over the next decade.
After registering, students will receive a membership packet and card, allowing them to reserve a car online at any time. Students under 21, however, must provide their own primary liability coverage of at least $300,000 and receive consent from a parent or guardian before renting cars.
While only students are eligible now, University faculty will be included in the service starting in April, said Heather Tassoni, director of business rental sales at Enterprise Holdings, WeCar’s parent company.
“Car sharing is very popular in urban areas, campuses and government institutes,” she said, noting that more than 50 people have applied to join since registration opened on Monday.
She added that the business is “really instituted for the University’s environmental goals and sustainability efforts.”
Michael Zahradnick, a business rental salesman at WeCar, said that the University approached WeCar “two or three years ago” after it decided not to allow sophomores to park cars on campus, a policy that went into effect this year.
WeCar has offered car rentals to businesses, students and athletic teams for more than 10 years. Enterprise then instituted an hourly rental Wecar program in the last few years to meet the demand for a car-sharing program in cities all over the country.
DeRose noted that the new program will operate in tandem with existing University transportation programs.

“WeCar actually complements TigerTransit and other programs,” she said. “WeCar is intended for short trips off campus to areas TigerTransit does not serve.”
Editor's Note: Zipcar pricing in this article has been updated to reflect new information provided by a company representative.