SBCC Partners with Zipcar
Car Sharing Service Available to Students, Staff, and Faculty
Santa Barbara City College launched a partnership Thursday with Zipcar, the popular car sharing service, as part of the college’s new sustainable transportation program initiated earlier this month. This semester, two Zipcars — a Nissan Versa and a Ford Focus — will be parked at the Beach City Apartments across from the main campus for students, staff, and faculty over the age of 18 to rent for $7.50 per hour and $69 per day, gas and insurance included. Those affiliated with the college can become Zipcar members for the reduced price of $15 their first year. Community members over the age of 21 may also reserve the cars.
As Katelyn Chesley, Zipcar Public Relations Specialist says, “The Zipcar program on campus gives students, faculty, and staff the freedom of using a car without the hassles of owning one.” The new Zipcars will join three already at UCSB’s campus and four in Isla Vista.
City College’s revised transportation incentive program, which last year reimbursed SBCC employees $2 per round trip and up to $40 monthly when they commuted sustainably, now rewards students who forego single-occupancy vehicles with food, raffles, and monetary incentives on campus.
At SBCC’s Thursday morning pancake breakfast for alternative commuters hosted by the college and BiCi Centro, Perrin Pellegrin, managing partner of Innovative Workshop Consulting for environmentally sustainable planning, provided the statistics about SBCC: “15,000 daily commuters” vie for “2,500 parking spots.” Essentially, parking has always been an issue on campus, one that alternative transportation helps solve.
