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Universities are a fertile ground for car-sharing because, as a generaliza-

tion, the student and faculty population are more attuned to environmental

impacts than the population at large. In addition, universities frequently have very constrained parking. Because parking and transportation func- tions cannot usually draw from academic funds, universities need to explore

innovative parking management strategies in order to be self-sufficient.

They are more readily able to implement new parking strategies since, as self-contained organizations, they are able to control their own parking fa-

cilities. Furthermore, their marketing efforts are easier to target than most,

in that communication mechanisms are usually in place and everyone has a similar destination.

Despite these similarities, universities vary in their settings. Some are urban and can be easily integrated into a car-sharing operator’s regular fleet, such as the University of California in Berkeley and Massachusetts Institute of

Technology near Boston. In both these instances, the car-sharing operator has vehicles placed on the campus as well as in locations around the commu-

nity. In more suburban settings, car-sharing is a stand-alone project focused

only on the campus. Stanford University in Palo Alto, California and the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill are two such examples.

Goals and Benefits

A key goal of universities is to reduce parking demand. At some universi- ties, this goal has been linked to a TDM program, where the overall goal of managing the system also encompasses an emphasis on environmental leadership.

At the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the University of Wiscon- sin at Madison, and Portland State University in Oregon, car-sharing is one of

the TDM strategies offered to campus affiliates. The programs include other

alternative transportation modes as well, such as free or subsidized transit passes and vanpooling and ridesharing. Reducing parking demand is a goal

of these campuses, as it is at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

MIT is further spurred to include car-sharing as a strategy, since Cambridge, its host city, limits how much parking the University can have.

Sustaining the environment was one of the goals of the University of Victoria in British Columbia when it introduced car-sharing on its campus. Similarly,

Car-Sharing: Where and How It Succeeds

car-sharing fits into the goal of the Tufts Climate Initiative, at Tufts Univer-

sity in Massachusetts. Tufts, which has a strong environmental movement,

decided to do something itself to reduce climate emissions, since it judged that government action was slow or non-existent. There was a two-year discussion about the fact that car-sharing might actually increase emissions, since it might encourage non-drivers to drive. Ultimately, the decision was made to include car-sharing in the Climate Initiative, particularly since two

of the vehicles are electric, given to Tufts by a donor.

The University of Washington in Seattle experiences parking problems because of its bucolic setting—a campus spread out over 750 acres and

bordered by water on two sides. Maximizing parking availability, while limiting the number of peak-hour vehicle trips, is the University's primary goal. ”We know that people can feel stranded on campus without having

a car to use—Flexcar fills this need,” said Lisa Quinn, Public Information Specialist with the University’s Transportation Office.2

finding a partner

There is no definite pattern of who initiates the partnership between a

university and a car-sharing operator. Sometimes the car-sharing operator recognizes the opportunity a campus provides for new business; other times the university itself seeks out car-sharing as another strategy for its parking and TDM programs.

At Stanford University in California, for example, the university issued a Request for Proposals in 2003 to obtain a car-sharing operator. One of its requirements was that the operator admit 18-20 year olds as members. Two bidders responded. Ultimately, the original operator who was chosen closed the program because of a lack of demand, but Enterprise Rent-A-Car has

taken over, offering hourly rentals through its regular rental office.3 _Service

is available to 18-20 year olds who can present proof of full-coverage car insurance.

The situation at University of Victoria in British Columbia was reversed. The University sought out an operator, Victoria Car Share (VCSC). However,

VCSC asked that a core group of 24 members be recruited first, in order to

2. Quote from “Flexcar Broadens Options for University of Washington Students, Staff and Faculty,” a case study published by Flexcar. 3. The high cost means that the service is similar to half-day rentals, rather than hourly. As of March 2005, the cost was $14 per hour, slightly less than half the $33 daily fee. City CarShare’s rate was $4 per hour, or $2 per hour off-peak.

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prove that there would be a viable market. An ad hoc group at the Univer-

sity organized afternoon workshops and sent notices to staff, faculty and

students. Today the VCSC car on the campus is the second most popular

in the VCSC fleet.

Zipcar approached MIT about car-sharing as a no-cost proposal to the University. This was an incentive to partner, according to MIT’s opera- tions manager, because, “We can be a good citizen of Cambridge” without additional cost. Campus members themselves pay $25 a year, but are not assessed any application or security fee.

types of Support

Parking and promotion of car-sharing are universally offered by the nine

universities interviewed for this research. Several are considering using

car-sharing to reduce departments’ fleets, and several offer subsidies to car-

share members. Car-sharing is also incorporated in policies on campuses that have TDM programs.

Marketing

Most of the universities hold campus events where car-sharing is featured along with other alternatives to the single-occupant automobile. Most also

have an established communications network, such as e-mails to staff, em-

ployee newsletters, new student orientations, and websites. This network

is utilized to promote car-sharing and other alternative modes. Materials are usually provided by the car-sharing operator. Below is a sampling of these marketing methods:

• The University of Victoria’s campus calendars advertise the TDM program on the back, including information on car-sharing. • MIT and Stanford University place signs advertising car-sharing

in the campus shuttles.

• The University of Washington pays for weekly ads in the student newspaper.

• The University of Pennsylvania includes car-sharing information in the packets sent to new students, which advise them not to bring vehicles to campus.

In order to be effective, marketing needs to occur in a supportive environ-

ment and be appropriately targeted. For example, car-sharing parking that

is not convenient, parking rates that make car-sharing uncompetitive, and lack of transit can all counteract the best marketing campaign. The Univer-

Car-Sharing: Where and How It Succeeds

sity of Washington experienced this disappointment when, despite a com-

prehensive campaign, survey results showed that there were no significant

changes in commute habits. (See Exhibit 5-26 for details.)

Administration

Just as with any employer, universities do not give outside businesses

direct access to their employees and students. Therefore, the most com- mon administrative help given is assistance with marketing. Usually, the car-sharing operator will supply promotional materials and the university

staff will distribute it. The university staff time spent is generally minimal. For example, staff at Portland State University in Oregon estimate that the Administrator spends about five hours a month and the Alternative Trans- portation Coordinator spends another 10 hours a month on the car-sharing program.

There are some exceptions, however. For example, Zipcar provides service

at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, which is remote from the

firm’s major markets in Boston, New York and Washington, DC. For this reason, university staff provides operational and maintenance assistance.

Parking

Given the tight parking supply on most campuses, parking is one of the most significant types of support that a university can give. Indeed, given