Getting around off campus poses a problem for Tufts students, many of whom are prevented from having cars by bans relating to their class year or by the difficulty of finding off-campus parking. Even students with access to cars find their mobility hindered by costs associated with gas and car maintenance.
Some students, however, are looking to on-campus shared transportation to avoid these problems and satisfy their travel needs. Growing out of a broader interest in eco-friendly efficiency, the existing ZipCar program and a proposed bike-share program give students the opportunity to use a vehicle only when they need to.
ZipCar provides cars for community-based short-term rental throughout the country, but has especially focused on providing transportation for students on college campuses. Students who are 21 or older can apply online to get access to one of two on-campus ZipCars, which they can then use by making reservations on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Sophomore Kyle Sircus believes that the service is a strong solution for college students' travel needs.
"I think it's great for grocery shopping, goings to friends' houses or all-day outings. A lot of my older friends have used it and love it," Sircus said.
Sircus pointed out, however, that the actual utility of the program is limited by its age restriction.
"I can't use it because I'm not of age, but I would definitely use it if I were 21," he said.
Junior Scott Silverman, vice president of the Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate, is working on a transportation solution that will give all students the chance to utilize pollution-free transportation: a bike-share program.
Across the country, many universities are implementing bike-share programs to free up parking spaces, increase environmental sustainability and decrease the cost of living for students. Many schools, such as Carleton College, Duke University, Emory University and the University of Washington, have implemented bike-share programs. St. Xavier University in Chicago just unveiled the first computer-driven bike-sharing system on a university campus, in which students only need their ID card to rent a bike.
"We're still in the initial stages right now of gathering information and trying to find funding for the project. The option that I like the most is also the most expensive -- the electric model," Silverman said. "We have to gauge student response for the project, as well as coordinate with outside Tufts organizations, such as those involved with security and sustainability."
Silverman originally hoped that the program could be paid for with money from the TCU Senate's recovered funds. The program, however, failed to receive the 50- percent vote of confidence that it would have needed to remain under consideration.
"Since the program didn't receive the votes necessary for the recovered funds, I've been exploring other means of funding the program, possibly through the Office of Sustainability or Tufts Recycles," Silverman said.
He hopes to have the program up and running by the fall 2009 semester, but he said that the biggest obstacle will be finding funding for what is a costly proposal.
Silverman noted that having a free bike-sharing system may not be feasible.
"Ideally it would be free, but that might not be possible. There's also a psychological component where students are more prone to take care of the bikes if they have paid for them," Silverman said.
Student response is another important factor in determining whether or not this project would work for Tufts.
"I don't know how to ride a bike, so I wouldn't be able to use any bike-sharing program. I do think it's a good idea for the rest of campus," sophomore Thai Tran said.
Silverman believes that one strength of the bike-share program is that, like the ZipCar, it takes away the need for students to have a car on campus.
"I hope that this changes the culture of having a car as a college student," he said. "Having a car is not a necessity, but transportation is. After this year, only 50 percent of the Tufts population will be able to have cars, since sophomores can no longer have cars. It would be nice to have access to a mode of transportation without the worry."
