2008 Woodie Awards
Mac signs on to car share program, Prius on order
With a new Toyota Prius on order and a spot cleared in the Patagonia lot, car sharing is coming to Macalester….
By: Ari Ofsevit
Issue date: 4/28/06 Section: News
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With a new Toyota Prius on order and a spot cleared in the Patagonia lot, car sharing is coming to Macalester.
An official announcement was made by the college Wednesday. Tom Welna '86, the director of the High Winds Fund, said that the college has worked out the details of providing the capital for a two-year pilot project to host a car on campus. A Prius similar to the one which will be used for the program was displayed on Bateman Plaza yesterday.
Macalester will provide approximately $10,000 each year to pay for the fixed costs of the car. As part of the deal, the car should be on campus this summer, Welna said. The hybrid Prius, which has gained wild popularity as gas prices continue to rise, is back-ordered and will likely arrive around July 1.
The price of oil has soared to record highs, and gas prices are nearing $3.00 per gallon.
While Macalester will sponsor the program, it will be entirely run by Hourcar, a nonprofit car sharing service run by the Neighborhood Energy Connection (NEC) in St. Paul.
Hourcar currently has more than a dozen Priuses scattered across the Twin Cities, with “hubs” generally near the downtowns, University of Minnesota campuses and the Hiawatha Light Rail Line. Macalester will be the first hub based at a smaller college away from what Hourcar typically considers major population centers.
In addition to Hourcar, Zipcar, a private company headquartered in Boston, has six cars sponsored by the U and available to users there. Zipcar has cars in several cities nationwide, but has no immediate plans to expand beyond the U in the Twin Cities market.
Mary Morse '82, the Executive Director of the NEC, said that participants in Hourcar would be able to use any of the other cars it owns in the Twin Cities. Hourcar does not operate car sharing in any other city.
“Everyone in the Macalester community, including students, is welcome to join,” Morse said, but “they must meet member qualifications.”
An official announcement was made by the college Wednesday. Tom Welna '86, the director of the High Winds Fund, said that the college has worked out the details of providing the capital for a two-year pilot project to host a car on campus. A Prius similar to the one which will be used for the program was displayed on Bateman Plaza yesterday.
Macalester will provide approximately $10,000 each year to pay for the fixed costs of the car. As part of the deal, the car should be on campus this summer, Welna said. The hybrid Prius, which has gained wild popularity as gas prices continue to rise, is back-ordered and will likely arrive around July 1.
The price of oil has soared to record highs, and gas prices are nearing $3.00 per gallon.
While Macalester will sponsor the program, it will be entirely run by Hourcar, a nonprofit car sharing service run by the Neighborhood Energy Connection (NEC) in St. Paul.
Hourcar currently has more than a dozen Priuses scattered across the Twin Cities, with “hubs” generally near the downtowns, University of Minnesota campuses and the Hiawatha Light Rail Line. Macalester will be the first hub based at a smaller college away from what Hourcar typically considers major population centers.
In addition to Hourcar, Zipcar, a private company headquartered in Boston, has six cars sponsored by the U and available to users there. Zipcar has cars in several cities nationwide, but has no immediate plans to expand beyond the U in the Twin Cities market.
Mary Morse '82, the Executive Director of the NEC, said that participants in Hourcar would be able to use any of the other cars it owns in the Twin Cities. Hourcar does not operate car sharing in any other city.
“Everyone in the Macalester community, including students, is welcome to join,” Morse said, but “they must meet member qualifications.”
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