Freedom Drivers

Photos by Blake McClary

Without much of a commotion, Enterprise rental cars appeared mysteriously on the south visitor parking lot of campus on November 4. Since then, its car rental services have steadily gained interest and students can rent out the cars overnight, or hourly for a typical fee as low as $5 an hour.

With a particular emphasis on convenience, students no longer have to own a car, pay for insurance, or worry about the cost of fuel and maintenance in order to drive to their next destination. With each rental, up to 200 miles of fuel as well as damage and liability protection is included in the hourly cost. Such developments are changing the way people think about public transportation.

“We consider enterprise CarShare in many ways to be an enhancement of public transportation,” said Greg Phillips, campus spokesperson for Enterprise CarShare. “We are very concerned with using high-efficiency miles-per-gallon cars.”

Likewise, Enterprise and UTA have worked together to bring the community-based alternative to the Wasatch front for those drivers who are under 25, commonly the age when companies start their regular renting services.

“The additional liability for renting to members under the age of 25 is included in the overall contract we have with the Utah Transit Authority, Salt Lake City and the university,” said Phillips. “This is not unlike car-share programs offered on university campuses across the country and is necessary to best serve the student population that utilizes car sharing.”

In order for 18 to 20 year-old students to set up a membership with CarShare, they must have a student email address and parental consent in order to join. For those 21 years or older, they can sign up for a general membership, which does not require a student email address or parental consent.

As of now, the one-time application fee and the annual $40 membership fee are waived for UVU students. Additionally the program also includes fuel-efficient economy cars as well as larger cargo vans and trucks for when transporting larger cargo is necessary.

“For those larger-sized purchases, sometimes it’s not always convenient to bring them back with you [on the bus or the train],” Phillips said.

With so many practical applications, and a designated parking spot, it’s hard to see why taking a rental car for a spin wouldn’t be worth a shot.