Only 10 students have used the HOURCAR service since it arrived on campus at the beginning of February after a few years of negotiation.
TommieMedia conducted a survey of 45 students. No one interviewed had either used or heard of such car-sharing services.
“If I need to go off campus I just use a friend’s car and I don’t have a real reason to ever use it,” sophomore Alana Parno said.
Macalester currently has 50 students using the HOURCAR regularly and it has been in service for a number of years.
HOURCAR Program Manager Christopher Bineham said he is impressed with the speed in which St. Thomas students have joined the program given that it has only been on campus for five weeks. There are currently 25 students registered, but only 10 have used the cars. Bineham expects the number of users to rise as the program develops.
Ashley Stewart can be reached at stew1177@stthomas.edu.
This HOURCAR program just started on campus, so like anything else it is going to take sometime to build up. Second the prices are just too high for students (6 dollars per hour and 25 cents per mile). As a college student if i go grocery shopping that will cost me around 8-10 dollars. That is almost half a bag of food I can stretch it to. Or if you go out on a date, and are out for a couple hours that you could run you up to $20+. They went after the wrong demographic for a little too steep of a price. Cut it by half, and watch your membership increase, which is the most important thing needed if this program is going to stay on this campus permanently.
I agree with Kamal. The prices are too steep and the program did just begin.
In addition, many students had already purchased a parking permit for the year/semester when the program began. I know I certainly am not going to let $450 of an on-campus resident parking permit go to waste and send my car home.
Why did the article stop at students? Are staff and faculty registered with HOURCAR? Using them? That seemd a big gap in the reporting.
Mr. Johnson is correct that more than students will use this service. My wife and I live in the neighborhood and have one car. We signed up with Hourcar as a backup for the few times we need a second vehicle. It’s cheaper and more convenient than getting a rental.