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Zipcar Coming To UM Campus

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Jul 11, 2008 12:22 pm US/Eastern

Zipcar Coming To UM Campus

CORAL GABLES, Fla. (CBS4) ― Students at the University of Miami will soon have a new way to "zip" around the campus and surrounding area. The Zipcar program will become available starting this fall.

The Zipcar program is widely used in larger cities like Washington, D.C., where parking is at a premium. Residents in the District without cars can often pick up a Zipcar at many of the Metro stops in Washington and use them in place of owning a vehicle.

A Zipcar is sort of like a car ATM. First, you have to sign up with the subscription-based service. An annual membership with the service will cost you $35, hourly rates are also available for between $7 and $10 per hour. You must also be at least 18-years-old.

Next, the company will issue a member a bar coded "zipcard," which will be needed to pick up the vehicle. A member then makes a reservation by phone for a vehicle, and uses the "zipcard" to unlock the reserved vehicle. The car is then yours for a set amount of time, when the car is returned; the card is charged based on time used.

With gas prices continuing their march to record levels, the Zipcar might be an alternative because the company pays for the fuel in the vehicles.

Campuses from Harvard to the University of Michigan have already adopted the program to alleviate parking problems and aid students without a car of their own.

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