eGo CarShare comes to Auraria Campus

For students that live downtown or in the surrounding area, owning a car is potentially more of a penance than a perk.

Local nonprofit organization eGo CarShare has brought its pay-as-you-go car rental system to Auraria. Their services currently provide Denver and Boulder residents with an alternative car rental service.

“CarShare has been around for 10 years. It started in Boulder, but expanded to Denver in 2009,” said program manager Alyssa Alt.

One of the attractions to this system, according to Alt, is that the only thing the user needs to do is reserve the car, and drive. CarShare takes care of maintenance, registration, and insurance.

“Everything is done online,” said Alt. “You sign up, choose your rate plan and we mail you a key fob or you can pick it up in our office.”

Users are issued individual key fobs to access CarShare cars. Also, driver fees include gasoline and insurance costs. Usually there’s a $25 application fee; however, as a promotion for the new CarShare station, eGo is waving the fee for the first 25 people to utilize the Auraria station.

Depending on the rate plan, users can pay strictly on a pay-per-use basis or choose more of a subscription basis. After registering online, users simply make their reservations and then swipe their personalized fobs over the fob-reader on the car. Then, bring the car back to where you picked it up.

At the end of the month, CarShare members are billed solely for the services they’ve used that month.

First year Metro student Kenny Rodriguez said he thinks CarShare is a good idea for the campus as a whole. “At orientation I kept hearing how much Auraria was a commuter campus. It only makes sense that an organization like CarShare would land here,” he said.

Students interested in CarShare can utilize the service even if only on occasion for job interviews or shopping errands.

The organization further markets itself by utilizing a selection of fuel-efficient vehicles. “In Denver, most of your vehicles are Toyota Priuses. We really want to reduce the impact of car emission,” Alt said.

Currently CarShare has stations throughout Boulder and Denver, but the nonprofit is always looking to expand. “I saw the stand on campus, but I wasn’t exactly sure what it was about,” said CU Denver History major John Coch. “It’s cool to know it’s there. I don’t own a car or plan on buying one soon. I might end up using it down the line.”

AHEC’s partnering with eGo Carhsare is one of the many efforts to provide alternative and eco-friendly transportation for students at Auraria.

“[Students] might as well give it a try. There’s no harm in using the service,” Alt said. “It really does save money, you really are only paying for what you’re using.”