The Zipcar car-sharing system bills itself as “wheels when you want them,” but some students claim that Dickinson’s program does not live up to its advertisement.

Zipcar is a membership-based car sharing system that provides car rentals to its members at hourly or daily rates. Dickinson has two Zipcars on campus, but students registered with the program say that the Zipcar website does not accurately track car availability, and complain that there are not enough cars for the student population.

“Sometimes [both cars] would both say ‘taken’ [on the website] but would not be gone,” Maddie Kaliff ’18 said.  This is a problem that occurs because students who reserve a car use less than or none of their reserved time, Kalidd says, and Zipcar does not monitor this issue.

“There’s not very many [cars] so availability is not [ideal],” Caroline Wippman ’18 added.  Schools similar to Dickinson’s enrollment have around the same amount of cars. Ursinus College has two Zipcars and Bucknell University has three.

Not all students reported having problems with the service, one student said his experience with the actual reservation process was “smooth,” and that he was able to make his reservation and use the car on very short notice.

According to Zipcar’s website, the partnership between Dickinson and Zipcar relies on Zipcar to provide the resources for the program and Dickinson to maintain the program. Zipcar provides Dickinson with the cars, as well as marketing and management support. In turn, Dickinson must provide Zipcar with a parking space for each car and appoint a staff member who can oversee the program.

Alissa Gill, transportation coordinator for the Department of Public Safety, oversees Dickinson’s Zipcar system. Gill declined to comment for this story.

Although there were mixed feelings about how the current program runs on campus, all of the students interviewed had suggestions on how to improve the program on campus. One of the main suggestions that students had was to “get more cars,” said Ella Wiley ‘18.

One student, who wished to remain anonymous, called his registration with Zipcar  “abysmal,” saying that the process “took way longer than it should have to register and I had no way of finding out my application status.”

According to the Zipcar website, the two vehicles in Dickinson’s fleet are located in the Zipcar parking bay in the parking lot adjacent to Miseno’s. The first is a silver Honda Civic that seats five people, while the second option is a blue Ford Focus that also seats five.

The pricing of Zipcars varies based on the model of the car and when it is being rented. Monday through Thursday it costs $8.50 per hour or $69 for the whole day to rent the Honda Civic, and $7.50 per hour or $69 for the whole day to rent the Ford Focus. Over the weekend, Friday through Sunday, it costs $9.50 per hour or $77 for the whole day to rent the Honda Civic, and $8.50 per hour or $77 for the whole day to rent the Ford Focus. The rental price includes car insurance, a gas card that can be used at any gas station and 180 miles. If a trip exceeds 180 miles in one day, the renter is charged 45 to 55 cents for each extra mile.

Anyone in the greater Carlisle community can rent one of Dickinson’s Zipcars. According to Zipcar’s website, the initial fee to sign up is $15, and then there is an option of either a $7 monthly fee or a $70 yearly fee to maintain membership. Additionally, members pay the fee outlined above each time they rent a car.