BLACKSBURG, Va., April 10, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- U Car Share is expanding its growth as it partners with Virginia Tech University by launching an alternative to vehicle ownership. U Car Share allows students, staff and faculty access to cars 24/7, thus eliminating the need to bring a car to campus during the school year. Students can join and reduce their environmental impact while saving thousands of dollars a year compared to bringing a car to campus. Members pay only for what they use, in one low hourly rate. U Car Share takes care of fuel, mileage, insurance and maintenance costs.
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As the student population grows at Virginia Tech and resources remain limited for additional on-campus parking, this progressive university has found a creative and innovative solution to the problem: U Car Share. Car sharing meets the needs of students who need a car occasionally, while being sensitive to the surrounding community and environment. Car sharing reduces the demand for parking and results in greater sustainability while maintaining individuals' mobility.
U Car Share vehicles soon will be positioned for easy access to students, faculty staff and the local community, and will be available on the Virginia Tech campus beginning June 2009. U Car Share will provide six EPA SmartWay certified vehicles, a Toyota Prius, Honda Civic Hybrid, Ford Focus, Toyota Yaris, Mini Cooper and a Ford F-150. The vehicles will be parked at four different locations near classes, residence halls and the Squires Student Center. One vehicle will be parked on the Drillfield, two vehicles will be parked at the Coliseum Lot, another two vehicles will be parked at the Squires Lot and one additional vehicle will be parked at the Derring Lot.
Students, faculty and staff will be able to access the vehicle with a U Car Share membership card. As prequalified members, they will be able to log on to ucarshare.com at any time and reserve any vehicle of their choice on the U Car Share network. Members can reserve cars for as little as an hour at any time of the day. Gas, miles and insurance are all included in one low hourly rate, starting at $9.50 per hour. Daily rates are available as well.
"We're excited to have U Car Share on campus, and think it will meet the needs of students and employees who need a car only occasionally," stated Debby Freed, Alternative Transportation manager at Virginia Tech. "This new addition to our transportation alternatives will help us further reduce the number of vehicles used by the Virginia Tech community and continue to move our university's sustainability initiatives forward."
"U Car Share is a great way for us to expand our business model and reach out to provide a great service to the community," exclaimed Amy Cox, president, U-Haul Company of Richmond. "We want to provide Virginia Tech and its students an alternative to bringing a car to campus for the upcoming semester."
For a limited time, membership is free for all students, faculty and staff (a $50 value). Log on to ucarshare.com today and enter promotion code VT1FREE2009 when signing up. (This promo code is case sensitive and will expire on August 30, 2009.) Participants of the Commuter Alternative Program will be able to join for free all year round.
U Car Share encourages parents to think twice about sending their students to campus with a car for the upcoming semester. Instead of dealing with the hassles of parking, maintenance and insurance, consider a membership with U Car Share. The cars will be available for reservations 24/7 every day of the year.
Research shows that car sharing is great for the environment. Every shared car on the road can replace up to 15 personally owned vehicles. This means that fewer cars will need to be manufactured, fewer cars will be on the road and the community's carbon footprint will be reduced. Car sharing is fast becoming a critical element of the transportation network in many cities and universities, enabling residents, students and businesses to get rid of their vehicles while still meeting their transportation needs.
U Car Share is committed to the community and will work with Virginia Tech to see that the program is successful. U Car Share is very excited to be on the Virginia Tech campus and looks forward to the growth of car sharing.
U Car Share is also available in: Portland, Maine; College Station, Texas; Madison, Wis.; Berkeley, Calif. and Portland, Ore.
For more information about U Car Share, log on to ucarshare.com or call 1-866-323-4591.
U-Haul Corporate Sustainability Initiative
U-Haul was founded by a Navy veteran who grew up in the Great Depression. Tires and gas were still rationed or in short supply during the late 1940s when U-Haul began serving U.S. customers. Today, that background is central to the U-Haul Sustainability Program: "Serving the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." Our commitment to reduce, reuse and recycle includes fuel efficient moving vans, neighborhood proximity, moving box reuse, moving pads made from discarded material and packing peanuts that are 100 percent biodegradable. Learn more about these facts and others at uhaul.com/sustainability.
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