Environmentally preferable and money saving, carsharing could be the new wave of the future in UCSB transportation. Carsharing is a form of hourly car rental that includes fuel and insurance. Flexcar is a carshare company that promotes environmentally-preferable transportation by students paying the university-subsidized price of $5.50 an hour (includes gas and insurance) or $60/day to drive a Honda Civic Hybrid. UCSB Transportation Alternative Program (TAP) Members receive a special $50 usage credit as a sign up bonus.
Although carsharing programs have traditionally taken root in metropolitan areas larger than the Santa Barbara area, TAP manager James Wagner reports that ”Population density drives carsharing programs. If you look at UCSB, there are 25,000 people in a small geographic area. Population density is not an issue here at UCSB, or Isla Vista, or downtown Santa Barbara,” said Wagner.
One challenge, according to Wagner, is that a segment of the population who could benefit from the Flexcar most may not have easy access to signing up. Because Flexcar is primarily interfaced online, service workers and others without email at UCSB may not be aware of the benefits Flexcar provides.
"The learning curve is different for everybody. People most likely to use this service would be people without cars or people inclined to use alternative modes of transportation. People commuting to UCSB from long distances, like Oxnard, Camarillo Thousand Oaks, Santa Ynez, Santa Maria, or Lompoc, are especially inclined to use van pools or buses. Once people come to campus, having a car is ideal and time efficient," said Wagner.
Wagner attributes the growing demand for Flexcar services to the specially discounted rate, as well as the ability to drive independently of a bus route and schedule. Current use of the carshare program averages over 6 hours a day, seven days a week. Wagner said that this is Flexcar’s threshold to add more cars to a location. If people get frustrated with the lack of vehicle availability, they will be less likely to use the carshare program, according to Wagner.
Students living in dorms have unlimited access to the bus system as a part of their fees, and if they want to do something quickly, during nighttime, or away from the bus schedule, Flexcar can provide them with easy transportation, especially if additional passengers contribute to the hourly rate. Wagner said Flexcar also gives UCSB participants the ability to go on longer trips; most car rental agencies will not rent cars to anyone under 23 years of age. Flexcar provides insurance for those 18 and older.
Parents also have something to celebrate with the addition of car sharing to the UCSB community.
See http://gss.case.edu/RTAdocs/YourDrivingCosts2007.pdf
AAA reports that the average expense on a vehicle is $9,500 a year. As parents come to understand carshare availability, they may no longer see the need for students to bring vehicles to UCSB, thus saving parents and students a lot of money and making college for affordable for all.
"Flexcar membership enables participants to use carsharing services in any of their markets across North America. Flexcar is now being considered as a part of Isla Vista’s redevelopment and, the city of Santa Barbara is also looking at offering a carshare program. Mayor, Marty Blum, has considered it in past and considering it again. By creating rapid success at UCSB, we’ve shown carshare is ready to grow throughout our neighboring communities to provide missing mobility linkages and improve quality of life," said Wagner.