“I would generally say we’re on a successful track,” she said.
Battle said about 224 MSU students and faculty have become registered Zipcar users since the program started.

The company has provided six cars — three Toyota Prius models and three Ford Escape vehicles — at three different locations across campus since the program’s launch.

The company charges $8 per hour for usage during weekdays and $9 an hour on the weekends. Cars can be checked out by registered members for up to four days at a time, according to Zipcar’s website.

So far, vehicle usage is meeting Zipcar’s expectations, Battle said.

“The utility rate for the Zipcars has been very good,” she said. “The utility rate … has been on par for what the company wants.”

Family community services senior William Borja said although he is not a Zipcar member, he’s heard many friends mention the program.

Borja said Zipcar could be beneficial for incoming students without vehicles, particularly in the coming months.

“It depends on the prices, (but) I know there are a lot of students who don’t have cars,” he said.

Battle said data about the exact usage of each of the six vehicles is not known at this time but said her office plans to survey Zipcar users within the next year.

Ultimately, Battle said her office wants to use the program as a means of increasing the use of mass transit programs at MSU.

“The message we’re trying to get across is there’s so many options out there — you don’t need to bring your own vehicle,” Battle said.

In the future, the university will examine bringing in other types of cars to suit demand. To this point, Battle said vehicle usage has been fairly balanced between the two different models on campus.

Zipcar’s reach might expand beyond MSU in the future, said Tim Schmitt, community development analyst for East Lansing.

When Zipcar originally arrived at MSU, city officials were involved in talks between the two sides. While the city still is interested, Schmitt said no progress has been made on negotiations between the company and East Lansing.

“Nothing’s really changed,” he said. “It’s something we clearly want to move forward on in the future.”