Having a car at Vanderbilt, as many undergraduates have learned, can be a costly, complicated and inconvenient experience.

In an effort to make the ride a little easier, Zipcar is coming to campus in the fall, offering self-service access to rental cars for students 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

According to Joseph Williams, president of Vanderbilt Student Government, Zipcars will be able to ameliorate parking problems for all four years of undergraduates.

"This will be as significant for Vandy students as they want it to be," Williams said. "For freshmen, who aren't allowed to have a car on campus, and even for upperclassmen, who don't need a car every day of the week, Zipcars will allow them to get off-campus when they want to for a lesser cost."

Zipcars will also alleviate the shortage of parking spaces on campus.

"We encourage students to make use of this program because of the high prices of parking on campus, difficulties with finding a parking spot and the lack of spaces available," Williams said.  "This will be a very cost-effective form of transportation here at Vanderbilt."

Fees for renting the cars will vary based on the vehicle. VSG is looking to bring five cars to Vanderbilt, with two parked at The Commons, two at Kissam Quad and one at Sarratt Student Center.

While having more convenient access to cars will allow for students to leave the bubble more easily, some students feel having a car is not something on-campus students need most days.

"Having a car seems kind of unneccessary to me because our campus so small," said freshman Paul Lehman, "but I can imagine that it'll be a lot more convenient to use a Zipcar than to keep one here." 

-Adam Weinstein can be reached at adam.w.weinstein@vanderbilt.edu