U Car Share – the Alternative to Car Ownership – Is Expanding in Madison, Wis.

MADISON, Wis., April 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — U Car Share is expanding its growth as it adds more vehicles and locations around the suburbs of Madison. U Car Share allows members access to cars 24/7, thus eliminating the need to own a car or bring one to campus during the school year. Members pay only for what they use, in one low hourly rate starting at $9.25 per hour. U Car Share takes care of fuel, mileage, insurance and maintenance costs.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090423/LA04559)

Anyone 18 years or older with at least two years of driving experience may qualify to become a member. U Car Share encourages students at the University of Wisconsin and Edgewood College to consider car sharing as opposed to bringing a car to campus. With many locations around town, U Car Share is a convenient alternative that can save thousands of dollars vs. owning a car and having to deal with parking, insurance, fuel and maintenance.

There are currently seven U Car Share locations in Madison:

        Brooks St. and Regent St.
        Regent St. and Charter St.
        Regent St. east of Orchard St.
        Langdon St. south of Howard St.
        Brooks St. between Chandler St. and Vilas Ave.
        Henry St. between Doty St. and Wilson St.
        U-Haul Center on Washington Ave. and Bedford St.

Local businesses, apartment complexes, hospitals and universities willing to provide parking spaces for car-share expansion are encouraged to contact U Car Share at ucarshare@uhaul.com. Parking is in high demand and providing a car-share space is an efficient and environmentally friendly way to alleviate congestion. Buildings looking for LEED Certification also can benefit by having U Car Share available on site.

For a limited time, U Car Share is offering a free membership to anyone who joins by July 1st, 2009. Simply log on to ucarshare.com and enter the promotion code MADISON09 when signing up, and we will waive the one-time registration fee of $50. U Car Share does not have any annual membership fees. Also, Community Car* members can join U Car Share and get preapproved for free at any time. U Car Share encourages members of other car-share organizations to join for free and have additional vehicles available at all times.

“U Car Share is a great way for students and residents alike to get around town when biking or the bus aren’t an option,” said Duncan Wannamaker, a student at the University of Wisconsin and an intern for U Car Share. “The 24/7 online reservations and being able to use your membership card to obtain access to the cars are very convenient as well.”

Research shows that car sharing is great for the environment. Every shared car on the road can replace up to 15 personally owned vehicles. This means that fewer cars will need to be manufactured, fewer cars will be on the road and the community’s carbon footprint will be reduced. Car sharing is fast becoming a critical element of the transportation network in many cities and at universities, enabling residents, students and businesses to get rid of their cars while still meeting their transportation needs.

U Car Share is also available in: Portland, Maine; College Station, Texas; Berkeley, Calif. and Portland, Ore.

U Car Share vehicles soon will be available at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.; Regis College, Weston, Mass. and in the Salt Lake City Utah metropolitan area.

For more information about U Car Share, log on to ucarshare.com or call 1-866-323-4591.

U-Haul Corporate Sustainability Initiative

U-Haul was founded by a Navy veteran who grew up in the Great Depression. Tires and gas were still rationed or in short supply during the late 1940s when U-Haul began serving U.S. customers. Today, that background is central to the U-Haul Sustainability Program: “Serving the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” Our commitment to reduce, reuse and recycle includes fuel efficient moving vans, neighborhood proximity, moving box reuse, moving pads made from discarded material and packing peanuts that are 100 percent biodegradable. Learn more about these facts and others at uhaul.com/sustainability.

* Community Car is the service mark of Community Car, Inc.

    Contact:
    Joanne Fried
    Ashleigh Wagner
    U-Haul Public Relations
    (602) 263-6194
    publicrelations@uhaul.com

SOURCE U-Haul