The Observer, September 22, 2006
Volume XXXIX, Issue 4
Car sharing program comes To University Circle
Students tired of sharing their space with dozens of RTA riders every day will be excited by CityWheels, the innovative new way to share transportation on campus.
On Sept. 14, University Circle Incorporated (UCI) and CityWheels announced a partnership to bring car sharing to University Circle.
Car sharing is a member-based time share program, where any member is able to reserve a car and use it at any time during the day.
CityWheels started a program on the Oberlin campus and now brings one here, debuting with the Toyota Prius and the Scion xB. Both these cars are automatic 2006 models with A/C, stability control, and other standard features.
The program works through a membership system: after reserving one of the two cars, the member can drive during the reserved time and return the car to the reserved parking space when finished.
To become a member, students must meet certain criteria including being 21 years of age, having a valid driver's license for the past three years, and not having two moving violations or accidents within the last three years.
Once approved to become a member, there is a new member orientation at which the membership card is picked up. The card allows students to drive either vehicle; there is no key.
Part of what makes this program unique is that as a driver of these cars, a member does not pay separately for gas, insurance, or maintenance, as these features are covered by CityWheels. With those costs gone, having a car becomes reasonable and efficient with one of the several packages available to choose from when applying.
The local package will cost $5.90 an hour plus $0.30 per mile. The standard package will cost $8.90 an hour with twenty miles included and $0.30 per extra mile. The value package costs $15 a month plus $6.90 per hour with twenty miles included and $0.30 per extra mile.
All plans require a $50 annual fee, though the first 100 Case students who sign up will have their first annual fee waived.
There is a non-refundable $25 application fee, but if the user is not satisfied, the membership can be canceled within 30 days and the $50 annual fee will be refunded.
Driving with the program is simple – reservations can be made online or through a hotline, though the latter option will cost $1 per call.
A time slot can be reserved up to six months beforehand or as little as a few minutes before the car is needed and for time intervals starting in 30-minute increments.
The CityWheels cars are currently parked prominently in the parking lot on the corner of Ford and Euclid. UCI provides the free parking and much of the publicity because it believes in this program and the impact it will have on University Circle.
"[Which is] a perfect fit for University Circle…adding 10,000 new jobs over the next 10 years. More jobs mean more cars to an already heavily traveled area," said UCI President Chris Ronayne during the press conference. This program provides the use of fuel-efficient cars and is here not only to provide an alternative to owning a car but also to promote being environmentally friendly.
This program is not for all people; according to Ryan McKenzie, the president of CityWheels, it would possibly be better to rent a car for long trips or if a car is needed for more than a 24-hour period on the weekends.
CityWheels members are currently not allowed to reserve a car for longer than twenty-four hours during the weekend, to allow all members access to the cars during the peak time of use.
Each of the cars comes with a GPS system that will keep track of miles driven. A car reserved for a 24-hour period during the week would have 125 miles included in the $55-$65 (depending on plan) daily rate, which could make it to Cedar Point and back.
CityWheels does not allow the cars to be used beyond a 500-mile radius and going to Canada is not allowed because of insurance restrictions.
Gary Murphy, a professor of economics at Case, and his wife did own two cars but after looking into this program decided that it would be more cost-efficient to have just one car while using the CityWheels program.
More information is available at www.CityWheelsCleveland.com or by calling 1-888-MY-C-WHLS (692-9457).
