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Zipcar at Stanford

On this page:

• Zipcar at Stanford
• Locations and cars
• Special Stanford rates
• Personal and department memberships
• Zipcar bonus for Commute Club members
• Zipcar promotion for RAs/CAs
• Procedures

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Stanford locations and Zipcars

There are 29 Zipcars available at 13 Stanford locations:

View Stanford Zipcar locations in a larger map

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Special Stanford rates

Stanford members

• Pay only $35 a year, with no application fee
• Receive a $35 driving credit their first year of membership
• Receive up to $96 a year in driving credit if also a member of the Stanford Commute Club
• Receive a $25 referral credit when referring a new member
• Receive discounted hourly rates at Stanford locations

All Zipcar reservations include gas, insurance, maintenance and 180 miles per day. Stanford's P&TS office has negotiated special discounted hourly rates for Stanford Zipcar members, with savings of up to $2 per hour for Zipcars at Stanford locations (discounted rates do not apply at other locations).

Usage type	Weekday rates	Weekend rates
Personal use	$8/hr. or $66/day	$9/hr. or $72/day
Departmental use	$8/hr. or $60/day	$8/hr. or $60/day

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Personal and department memberships

Personal memberships

Stanford has negotiated a driving credit of $35 for your first year of membership. This credit is intended to help offset the $35 Zipcar annual membership fee. Stanford Commute Club members also receive up to $96 a year in driving credit. The following are membership requirements:

Age 21 and older

• Have a valid driver's license and have been licensed for at least one year
• Have had no more than two incidents (moving violations PLUS accidents) in the past three years and no more than one incident in the past 18 months
• Have had no major violations in the past three years
• Have had no alcohol violations in the past seven years

Age 18 to 20

• Have a valid driver's license for at least one year
• Have no incidents on their driving record

Join now. Go to "Step 1 - Join" of the "Procedures" section of this page.

Department memberships

Zipcar has a special offer for Stanford departments: a free department membership. With no fee to join and no limit on the number of members you can add to a department account, why not sign up for a department Zipcar account today? Read Zipcar's informational flyer on free department memberships.

• To set up a department account, complete Zipcar’s contact form. Zipcar will contact you within three to five business days.
• Department memberships are free for Stanford departments, with no cost per additional driver.
• Department members can use any of the 6,000 Zipcars nationwide for business travel.
• Department memberships are for university business only.
• Departments are offered a flat rate of $8 per hour and $60 per day on all makes and models at Stanford.
• Commute Club driving credit does not apply to department memberships.
• Hourly fees can be charged to a Stanford Purchasing Card (PCard) if the department has one.
• A personal or department Zipcar account can be added to an existing account, with a drop down option to charge the correct account for each trip.
• For more information about department memberships, please contact Rich Paisner at rpaisner@zipcar.com and copy commuteclub@stanford.edu.

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Zipcar bonus for Commute Club members

Zipcar members who are also members of the Stanford Commute Club will receive an additional bonus: $8 of driving credit each month, for up to $96 a year in free driving!

To receive this credit, you must be enrolled in Zipcar’s Commute Club membership plan. Each month, you will receive an $8 driving credit to your Zipcar account. This credit can be applied towards future reservations and will be valid for one month from the date of issue. Any unused credit will expire when the next month's credit is issued.

Already a Commute Club member and want to apply for a Zipcar membership? Click on the appropriate link below to apply for Zipcar’s Commute Club membership plan:

• Faculty and Staff Commute Club members
• Student Commute Club members

Not yet a Commute Club member? Visit our Commute Club page to learn about the benefits, the eligibility requirements, and how to join.

If you are already a member of both Zipcar and the Commute Club and you want to transfer to Zipcar’s Commute Club membership plan, email your request to commuteclub@stanford.edu.

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Zipcar promotion for RAs/CAs

If you are a Resident Assistant (RA) or Community Associate (CA) at Stanford, sign up for a new account by using Zipcar’s link for RAs/CAs. If you already have an account or have questions, send an email to commuteclub@stanford.edu. Thanks for using and promoting Zipcar at Stanford!

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Procedures

Step 1 - Join

Apply online through Stanford's Zipcar web page at http://www.zipcar.com/stanford or through one of the Faculty, Staff, or Student Commute Club member links above. (To be approved as a Stanford member, please use your Stanford email address and enter your Stanford ID number when asked for your “Employee or Institutional Number.”) Once you are approved, you will receive your very own Zipcard within three days to a week by mail. To get started even faster, pick up a Zipcard at the P&TS office and enter your card number when you apply. Please allow three to five days for your account to be approved by Stanford and Zipcar. Once you are approved, your Zipcard will be activated and ready to use.

• Zipcar checks your driving record.
• Zipcar emails you about the status of your application.
• Zipcar sends your Zipcard to your billing address or activates your existing Zipcard.

Already a Zipcar member? Contact Zipcar (http://www.zipcar.com/contact) to transfer to a Stanford membership.

Do you have a driver's license outside of the U.S. or Canada? You can apply. Visit Zipcar's website for instructions on how to provide them with your driving record: http://www.zipcar.com/apply/foreign-drivers

New to California? Be sure to consult the California Driver Handbook to familiarize yourself with the rules of the road.

Step 2 - Reserve

Once you have your activated Zipcard, reserve one of the Zipcars at Stanford or at any other Zipcar location for an hour or an entire day - you decide how long. Reservations can be made online at http://www.zipcar.com or by phone at 866.4ZIPCAR.

Step 3 - Unlock

Walk to the car, then just hold your Zipcard to the windshield. The doors will unlock, and it's all yours! Your Zipcard will only open the car you've reserved during the time you reserved it, which means no one else can open your Zipcar during that time. (You will be instructed where to find the keys in the car.)

Step 4 - Drive

Drive away.and return the Zipcar to the same reserved parking spot at the end of your reservation. It's that simple. And remember, gas and insurance are included in the hourly rate. You just need to fill the tank using the Zipcar fuel card inside the car when it gets to ¼ full.

Billing

As part of the application process, you will need to enter a credit card number. Zipcar accepts all major credit cards: American Express, Visa, MasterCard, Discover and Diners Club. Your credit card will initially be charged your annual fee and applicable taxes. Once you become a member, your driving charges will be charged to your credit card when you have completed a reservation.

Insurance Coverage

Insurance coverage is included in the cost of your Zipcar reservation. For Zipcar members 21 years of age or older, Zipcar insurance coverage consists of a combined single limit of $300,000 per accident. For drivers under 21, Zipcar provides coverage at state-mandated minimum levels. In California, the required levels are $15,000 for bodily injury liability per person in an accident; $30,000 for all bodily injuries in an accident; and $5,000 for property damage in an accident.

Visit Zipcar’s website for more information on insurance coverage.

Penalties

You will be charged penalties if you do not adhere to the basic membership guidelines. All penalty fees are assessed by Zipcar. Penalty fees result from actions including returning the car late, returning the car with less than ¼ tank of fuel, leaving the car excessively dirty, smoking in the car, and allowing pets outside of a car carrier while in the car.

Please note that someone who is not a Zipcar member cannot drive the Zipcar that a member has reserved. Anyone behind the wheel must be a Zipcar member for liability and insurance reasons. Membership can be revoked for unauthorized use.

Zipcar charges late penalties fees of $50 per hour with a minimum charge of $50 plus regular hourly charges. So, when you're making your reservation, book the car for an extra half-hour or hour if you have any doubt about being able to make it back on time.

You can also extend your reservation with Zipcar's automated telephone system (866.4ZIPCAR), but keep in mind that it's not always possible to extend your reservation once you have the car - another member may have already reserved it!

This is not a complete list of penalties. Please see the Zipcar website for full details: http://www.zipcar.com/apply/penalties.

Zipcar FAQs

Zipcar provides an FAQ page. Please note that this is the general Zipcar site, so some of the fees and rates differ from those offered to Stanford Zipcar members:

http://www.zipcar.com/how/faqs/

Have questions about Zipcar service or memberships? Email Zipcar at info@zipcar.com or call 866.4ZIPCAR. Have suggestions for Zipcar at Stanford? Contact P&TS at commuteclub@stanford.edu.

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