UK Transportation Services has partnered with Zipcar to give students easy access to having a temporary car on campus.

Zipcar is a car sharing service that provides access to cars in cities, airports and campuses. Zipcar’s website said their mission is to “enable simple and responsible urban living.”

“Our leadership team felt that car sharing was a good fit to complement the other alternative transportation programs, such as BluPass, campus buses, bicycle programs and the cash out incentive offered at the University,” UK Transportation Communications Officer Chrissie Tune said.

The partnership is part of the BluPass “cash out” incentive program that provides alternative transportation options available to the UK community. The goal of the program is to simplify the process of shifting from single-occupancy vehicles on campus to an alternative form of transportation, according to UK Transportation Services. 

The people of the UK community can join Zipcar for $15. The starting rates will be $7.50 per hour or $69 per day. After the first year, members will be charged an annual membership fee of $25. Gas, maintenance, insurance and up to 180 miles of driving per day are all included in the rates. To join, students and faculty can make reservations online or on their mobile app. Cars can be reserved for as little time as an hour or for up to multiple days. 

The cars, a Ford Escape named “Ellen” and Ford Focus, “Slater,” will be parked in the Woodland Avenue Lot and on Martin Luther King Boulevard, respectively, and will be available 24/7. To use the cars, students, faculty and staff must be at least 18 years old and the greater local community must be at least 21. UK Transportation will increase the number of cars on campus as demand increases. 

“We are encouraging all members of the campus community, not just students, to consider shifting transportation modes,” Tune said. “This is part of Transportation Services’ ongoing commitment to provide a variety of mobility options, rather than just offering services for those who choose to drive a motor vehicle.”

The Bike Voucher Program and the partnership with Zipcar are part of many programs that UK Transportation Services is implementing to decrease the number of cars on the road, to not only help UK, but the entire Lexington community.