Car rental companies have been reluctant to provide services for drivers under 21 in the U.S., and in Canada, many agencies won’t rent to anyone under 25. For young adults entering the workforce, it can make getting around pretty difficult. What if you have to travel for work? What if your car needs to go in for repairs? What do you drive? How do you get to school or the office?
Finally the student market is being recognized, and car-sharing companies are forming partnerships with colleges and universities across the U.S.
Companies such as Zipcar Inc. and Revolution LLC's Flexcar -- which allow customers to rent cars for hours or days -- see a lucrative new market in students, a population that has been largely ignored by traditional rental-car companies such as Hertz Corp. and Avis Budget Group Inc. Indeed, many rental-car companies prohibit those under 21 from renting at most locations. The car-sharing companies, however, are now cutting partnerships with schools nationwide: Flexcar is set to announce deals with Arizona State University and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and this month it added Ohio State University, the nation's largest school by enrollment last year. Zipcar, the world's largest car-sharing company, says it is launching at between 10 and 15 new schools this fall, including Yale University and Carnegie Mellon University, bringing its total to more than 40.
(online.wsj)
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