Zipcar that is. Our household got its very own ZipCard that unlocks either a Toyota Prius or a Honda hybrid parked on Church Street on the Wesleyan campus. Join Zipcar for a small yearly fee of $50 and an application fee of $25 and you too can rent one of these fine cars for an hourly rate $8, which includes gas, insurance and 180 miles of travel. If you are part of the Wesleyan University community, the yearly fees and application fees are less. We joined through Yale University (where my husband works) and received $35 worth of free rentals in the first month of membership.
The Zipcar is ideal for people who just need a car occasionally for a few hours – to go to the mall or other errand. (Probably why they work so well in college communities.) If you need a car for the week or the weekend; Zipcar is not the most economical choice.
According to the Zipcar website many people go “carless” or downsize to one car after joining. We know two New Haven Residents who have done just that and reported saving thousands annually.
We tried Zipcar out this past week, renting the Prius to pick up my daughter at the airport for a Thanksgiving visit. After joining up our membership card was mailed to us. We made the reservation on the www.zipcar.com website which told us what car or cars were available in the area. The fact that the Zipcar location (The Allbritton Center, 222 Church Street) is within walking distance of the Village District and downtown is a huge plus. Unlocking the car was as simple as waving the membership card in front of the windshield. After a uneventful ride up and back, we simply returned the car to its parking place on campus. We did need to make sure we returned the car with at least ¼ tank of gas. If we had needed to purchase gas, a gas card, which works at any gas station, is stored in the glove compartment.
Right now there are only two Zipcars in Middletown to rent but more are likely to arrive here if this service becomes popular. Zipcar rentals are also available in Hartford on the Trinity campus, New London on the Connecticut College campus and in New Haven on the Yale campus. Available at more than 100 locations Zipcars are found throughout the country----I’m thinking we may use Zipcar on our vacation. I saw on the Zipcar website that you can purchase gift cards for memberships or driving. Hum…who on my holiday list would like that for Christmas?
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