End the No-wheels Blues with WeCar

An alternative to keeping and maintaining a personal vehicle on campus has arrived at Radford University and is now parked in lot F.

WeCar is a membership-based, automated car-rental option that offers vehicles on a short-term basis. It is now available to students, faculty and staff with a credit card and a valid driver’s license, said WeCar Brand Ambassador Rachel Vance.

"WeCar drivers always have a parking place on campus," Vance said. "This is a convenient, affordable and safe way to get around for those errands that a student needs to do, and it lessens the need for so many cars on campus."

Registered members have access to a Ford Focus and a Nissan Altima Hybrid in parking lot F between Muse and Tyler Hall. Drivers access the vehicles with their WeCar registration cards. Become a member by signing up online.

A WeCar member can reserve a vehicle online, and then access it with the membership card. Vehicles are returned to the pickup spot in lot F. Fuel, basic physical damage to the vehicle and insurance are included. Students 18 and older are eligible for membership in WeCar and its around-the-clock access. Rentals are by the hour, by the day and overnight.

"Gas is included, as is full coverage insurance so an 18-year-old can rent," Vance said. "For now, the membership fee also is credited to use of the car, so RU students can get going right away."

WeCar joins Radford Transit, the bus system serving the campus and the city of Radford, as a transportation alternative that can help lessen the RU community's carbon footprint, said Julio Stephens, RU sustainability coordinator. Greenhouse gases associated with commuting to and around campus are one of the top contributors to RU's footprint, he said.

WeCar, a project of Enterprise Rent-A-Car Inc., operates car-sharing programs on more than 50 college campuses across the United States and Canada, as well as corporate, government, military and downtown programs. Enterprise operates 13 locations in the Roanoke and New River Valley areas among more than 235 Enterprise Rent-A-Car locations in Virginia.