The University of Richmond has expanded its local transportation options for its students and other UR community members.
UR has brought the Zipcar car-sharing service to its campus, started downtown shuttle bus service and connected into the ride-sharing website Zimride.
"We're trying to encourage our students to be more connected with the community," especially so that they can participate in community service work and take advantage of the city's cultural opportunities, university spokesman Brian H. Eckert said Monday, the first day of UR's spring semester. The private liberal-arts university enrolls about 4,300 students and has more than 1,500 faculty and staff members.
About 1,000 of UR's full-time students do not have cars on campus.
However, Eckert said, "the transportation initiative is targeted to all students, with or without cars, to encourage community engagement in an environmentally friendly way."
UR is setting up a transportation operation in Tyler Haynes Commons, its student center, where Spider riders will be able to pick up and return the university's new Zipcars, a Toyota Prius and a Honda Civic, he said.
Qualified university community members can rent the on-campus Zipcars for $8 an hour or $66 for the day, including fuel, Eckert said. UR has negotiated a usage guarantee with Zipcar.
"If we don't meet that minimum, the university will make up the shortfall," Eckert said.
Virginia Commonwealth University and at least six other Virginia universities have similar car-sharing services through Zipcar or U Car Share.
Under a five-year contract, Groome Transportation will operate a shuttle to UR's downtown campus at Seventh and Broad streets, making additional stops at Broad and Robinson streets, and Broad and Foushee.
Two buses will run from 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., with one arriving at each stop about every 30 minutes.
The shuttle service will use five new propane-fueled, 20-passenger minibuses bearing a University of Richmond design theme.
Groome already provides the school's GRTC Connector to the Shops at Willow Lawn and the Carytown area, as well as its Spider Shuttle around campus and to The Village shopping center.
UR did not release the details of its contracts with Richmond-based Groome Transportation or with Zipcar.
Zimride is a ride-sharing program that helps students set up rides for commutes or road trips.
pbacque@timesdispatch.com
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