In one year, the UF Zipcar program has amassed over 400 members and has the capacity to take on at least 300 more.
Started as part of a fleet management initiative developed by UF President Bernie Machen, its aim is to keep people from bringing cars on campus by offering hourly rental cars to UF faculty, staff and students.
The program, which began in January 2007, has a fleet of eight vehicles in four campus locations: Keene-Flint Hall, Inner Road at Southwest 13th Street, across from the Reitz Union and near Shands at UF.
Allan Preston, coordinator and management analyst for the quality control department of the Physical Plant Division, is in charge of supervising the Zipcars, formerly called Flexcars, on campus.
"Zipcars reverse the economics of owning a car," Preston said. "The more you use it, the more cost effective it is."
Funding for the project came from a $3,000 fee that UF charges for each on-campus departmental car, which can be used by faculty and staff for official business.
Since this fee was implemented, the number of the cars has gone down by 10 percent, Preston said.
Currently, students account for 80 percent of Zipcar usage. The goal is to increase usage by faculty and staff in place of departmental cars.
Companies like Zipcar are emerging around the nation and are typically implemented by local transit systems. This is the only program of its kind in Florida, he said.
Preston said Zipcars at UF will start paying for themselves soon, and at a rate of $7 an hour for drivers, they are cheaper than paying for a car's insurance alone.
A variety of vehicles are available, from vans to trucks.
Unlike rental cars, the driver only has to be 18 years old, and everything is paid for - gas, insurance, maintenance and even carwashes.
Though there are currently no plans for expansion, Preston is ready to add more cars as demand grows. He has, however, petitioned to have a Mini Cooper added to UF's line because he thinks it would be fun to drive.
