Plan would allow OU students to rent campus cars short-term

A program proposed by Ohio University Dean of Students Ryan Lombardi at the Student Senate meeting on Jan. 25 could make it possible for students to reserve designated cars for select periods of time.

The presentation at the Senate meeting was led by Lombardi with the help of Director of Transportation and Parking Marty Paulins as well as Enterprise Holdings employees Jim Wissel, director of business rental sales, and Marissa Nye, business rental sales executive.

Under the program, Enterprise will work with the university to set up a car-sharing program called "WeCar."

WeCar will allow participating members, in this case students, to have short-term access to a car that will cost less than owning and operating a car of their own. Students would simply go online and check for car availability and location, reserve a time slot and receive their cost upfront. Cars could be reserved on an hourly, daily or overnight basis with 200 miles free. Trips over the 200-mile cutoff are not recommended.

Requirements for membership only include a valid driver's license and that a student be 18 years of age or older. This would be a great advantage for students who don't have the option to access a car under normal car-rental rules, where the required minimum age runs from 21 to as old as 25. (For Enterprise,the minimum age is 21.) 

"… [the program] opens it up to 18-, 19- and 20-year-olds, which is a really nice benefit for underclassmen," said Wissel. "It's a great benefit for international students as well."

Along with convenience and low cost, the car rental company representatives said the program advocates sustainability. "We'll reduce the number of cars on campus and reduce our carbon footprint. It's just another piece of the puzzle," said Paulins.

WeCar vehicles will be in select locations around campus, where they can be both picked up and dropped off. If someone were to damage the interior of the car, such as by transporting a pet or creating a mess, that student subsequently would be fined to ensure the quality of the car.

A complimentary gas card with pre-loaded money will also be included in the car. As courtesy to the next renter, the current driver will be asked to fill up the car before returning it, a standard practice in the car-rental industry.

"You guys will look at it as a community; you're all sharing this vehicle," said Nye.

So will the university make or lose money off of this car-sharing program?

Lombardi described that risk as very low. "…We would generate a certain amount of revenue… It's very little risk to university in terms of financial implications."

The WeCar program team is targeting implementation to take place next fall with summer orientation beginning as a trial period. At the moment, Enterprise and Lombardi are looking to obtain formal feedback from the student body, engage student participants on the implementation team, and finalize conversations with the WeCar vendor.

As part of the student implementation element of WeCar's plan, Enterprise and Lombardi are opening up an intern possibility for a student on campus. "[The intern would] help us internally market the program and help us with issues that come up," said Wissel. "We can't do it without the marketing of the university."

Asked if they wanted to go forward with the program at last Wednesday's Senate meeting, student senators responded with a unanimous "yes."

Lombardi encouraged students to reach out to him personally on their thoughts, concerns and questions surrounding the WeCar program. "We'll move forward and continue our conversations very soon," he said.