BY STEVEN SOUSA // OCT. 6, 2016 //

Curry College has partnered with Enterprise Rent-A-Car to offer a new Car-Share program to eligible students.

The school now has two cars on campus that students can check out and drive at any time. However, these cars are not free. The application and first year membership fees are waived by Enterprise but the hourly rates start from $7 an hour.

According to Allison O’Connor, the Associate VP of Student Affairs, there are no added costs onto the students’ tuition fees for the vehicles.

“There is no expense to the college for the program. Enterprise provided the cars and the college provided the parking spaces” says O’Connor.

This comes as a relief to students with cars on campus who feared they may be charged for a service that does not apply to them.

O’Connor also commented on the type of role the school has overseeing the program. She says, “The agreement for the use of the car is between the member and Enterprise CarShare, not with the college. If the college is made aware of a violation of the Student Code of Conduct, then the student would be held accountable through the Student Conduct process.”

Students must look at the vehicles as extensions of Curry property and if someone were to receive a DUI or possession of drugs in the car, they would not only be subject to legal ramifications but also action from the school.

Students seem to be split on whether or not they would take advantage of this service.

“I would not rent a car for $7 per hour” says Carmen Rugamas, a junior Psychology major.  “I’d rather use the campus t-van which will connect me to the MBTA to go into Boston whenever I want to go or I can ask a friend on campus to take me somewhere.”  

While Anastasia Santana, a freshman Education major, has a different opinion saying, “Yeah, I would use it so I don’t have to rely on the shuttles to go places like Target and the South Shore Plaza.”

“I probably would depending on where I’m going”, says Nick Poulack, a junior Communication major, who is more on the fence about the program. “If I’m going into Boston one night and it turns out to be cheaper than an Uber then I definitely would.”

Sophomore Education major, Hannah Lawrence, likes the idea but not at the cost. “If the rate was lower, I would consider using it but not at $7 an hour,” said Lawrence.

The two vehicles available for the Enterprise Rent-A-Car program, a Nissan Rogue and a Nissan Sentra, are parked in the Front Gate Lot. // IMAGE CREDIT: Curry College

To rent one of the vehicles, the student must be 18 years or older and have a valid driver’s license. The two vehicles available are a Nissan Rogue and a Nissan Sentra, and are parked in the Front Gate Lot.

Fuel and physical damage/liability protection are included in the hourly rate of $7 along with 24/7 roadside assistance. In the event of an accident, the liability protection makes the driver responsible for only the first $1000 of damage.

It will be interesting to see how this CarShare program will compete with other transportation services like Uber and Lyft on campus.

O’Connor indicated that there are currently no plans to add more vehicles but that could change in the future based on the success and popularity of the program.