College Partners with Zipcar to Offer Car Sharing in Grinnell

Zipcar, the world’s leading car-sharing network, and Grinnell College are partners in a new venture that will bring Zipcar’s car-sharing network to campus and the Grinnell community.

Zipcar provides students and local community residents with the freedom to travel without the hassles of owning a car. The new service also will help Grinnell College meet its sustainability goals by reducing the need for personal vehicles and parking spaces on campus and in Grinnell.

The convenient, self-service transportation option is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week for students, faculty, and staff ages 18 and older, and members of the local community ages 21 and older. Zipcars can be reserved for an hour or multiple days. For convenient pick-up and return, the two Zipcars have designated parking spots convenient to campus and downtown located in the Great Western Bank parking lot along Sixth Avenue near Broad Street.

Grinnell College and local community members can join for $15, with rates starting as low as $7.50 per hour and $69 per day. After the first year, members will pay an annual membership fee of $35. Zipcar covers the cost of gas, insurance, parking, maintenance, and up to 180 miles of driving per day. It’s easy to join online and make reservations either on Zipcar’s website or mobile app.

“We are offering a convenient, cost-effective and sustainable car-sharing network to the college and the local community,” says President Raynard S. Kington. “This partnership enables members of both communities to drive while reducing emissions and the need to own and maintain a vehicle. We hope the partnership will strengthen our relationship with the Grinnell community and bring the College closer to its goal of approaching carbon neutrality by 2040.”

Grinnell College students and Grinnell residents can now zip to the grocery store, to a doctor’s appointment, or an internship or job. And international students can enjoy peace-of-mind with an easy way to get around the United States.

“We’re thrilled to partner with Grinnell College to bring Zipcar’s convenient, on-demand car-sharing network with dedicated parking to campus,” says Benjamin Goldman, director of sales, Zipcar. “Zipcar will provide students, faculty, staff and Grinnell College’s community access to wheels when they want them at low hourly rates, freeing up funds for textbooks, groceries, and adventures beyond campus.”

Zipcar is a longstanding and leading campus car-sharing network with a presence on more than 600 colleges and universities across North America, from small private colleges to large public universities. In Iowa, Zipcar also partners with the University of Iowa and Iowa State University.

More information on how to become a member of Zipcar at Grinnell College is available on the Zipcar website.