A Hertz car sharing program will soon provide students with the option of renting cars on the Binghamton University campus on a short-term basis.
Registration for the program, called Connect, is already open, and students can register online at www.connectbyhertz.com. The site will also be posted on the Student Association Web site at www.binghamtonsa.org.
Students can reserve a block of time in advance, and payments are done by credit card. A mobile Web site and an iPhone application are in the works to allow students to register from their cellular phones.
Elahd Bar-Shai, chair of the Student Assembly, has been a leader in the effort to bring Connect to BU. He said it would benefit a large segment of the student population without cars.
“There are around 2,500 freshmen who aren’t allowed to own cars on campus and there are a lot of students who can’t afford cars or choose not to own cars but still need to get around,” he said. “Having access to a vehicle would allow them that freedom.”
Because it is the first year of the program, students can waive the $25 registration fee and the first year of the $50 annual fee. To waive the fees, students must enter the student promotional code, 1872956, when they register online. There are three different plans that will give students three different hourly rates, all between $6.80 to $8 an hour.
Students can also rent a car for a full day at rates ranging from $52.70 to $62.
After registering for the program, all users will get a key card similar to the student ID cards, which they can use to unlock the cars during their allotted time.
The fleet currently consists of two Toyota Priuses, but that may change. Katie Ellis, senior director of communications and marketing and BU’s spokesperson for the program, said that more cars may be added in the future.
“It would be wonderful if the program could grow,” she said, but added that the program would need to demonstrate success.
According to Bar-Shai, many universities across the country have large programs with 15 to 25 cars.
Both Hertz and BU have the ability to monitor how many times the cars are used and will decide when to expand the program based on the data collected.
In order to register for the program and be able to use the cars, students must meet a few qualifications. All drivers must be over 18, which is a special exception made for campus programs because most rental companies require drivers to be at least 25. Students must also have had a valid license for at least one year prior to registering and have a clean record.
There will also be a program set up to register international students using their licenses from their home country, but the process could take longer.
Both cars are equipped with amenities such as E-ZPass, roadside assistance, iPod adapter, GPS navigation and Bluetooth.
Robert Ross, a freshman majoring in electrical engineering, was in favor of the idea.
“I think a rental car would be great because then I could use it to [drive to] Greek Peak and go snowboarding, and it would be faster and more convenient to get around using a car than a bus,” he said.
There is also a plan for student groups, in which groups can register using money from their budget.
Both Toyota Priuses have been repaired after news of a recall relating to the improper functioning of brake and accelerator pedals on Toyota models. According to Bar-Shai, they are now safe to drive.
— Rob Bellon contributed to this report