Since 1998, major cities in the United States have looked into environmentally-friendly forms of public transportation. Now the phenomenon of “car sharing,” renting a car via phone or e-mail for short-time use, is coming to Oberlin.

The College has made rental cars available for students in the past, but over the last 15 years, with a dramatically increasing number of students bringing cars to campus, this service has withered into the woodwork. Revitalization is in the works for this upcoming semester, however, as Oberlin will collaborate with EcoCity Cleveland to establish an Oberlin branch to its City Wheels program. True to its name, these cars will be hybrid, and will be available for short-term student rentals.

The mother base, which will kick off in downtown Cleveland in January, “will give people access to new technology they might not have otherwise,” said its creator, Ryan McKenzie. McKenzie is the Transportation Program Manager for EcoCity Cleveland, a nonprofit organization focused on issues of urban sprawl. McKenzie had been following the industry for five years in expectation that a car share program would set up a Cleveland branch. When nothing was biting, he finally decided to start one himself.

“This will be the missing link in transportation locally,” he said. Although EcoCity was not planning on expanding its program beyond the locality of the big city so soon, it was recently contacted by Andrew Decoriolis, an Oberlin junior. Decoriolis has worked on transportation issues for the College and will do his honors project on car sharing next year.

Oberlin’s involvement in this program is “very much student initiated,” said Professor of Environmental Studies John Petersen, who has worked with Decoriolis and gives him all the credit. He also highlighted the College’s support for the program, which could be in response to the environmental sustainability goal that he said was recently written into the strategic plan.

Even so, these environmentally-friendly cars will not be exclusively available for the environmentally hip student’s use.

“This won’t just be for Oberlin College, but for the entire Oberlin community,” Petersen explained. The program will also only be offered to students over 21, as it is more expensive to insure people under 21. If it is successful, Petersen and others hope the College will spend the money to insure all students.

“There are environmental advantages to everyone sharing a car as opposed to everyone having their own car,” he said. He also identified the eventual goal of significantly fewer students bringing their cars to campus. Extinguishing any doubts that this project is environmentally friendly is the fact that the Prius that will be parked outside of Wilder come January will be a hybrid.

Oberlin will be boasting the Prius, a hybrid car, and is also looking into buying a Scion XB, which is not a hybrid but still runs at 34 miles per gallon on the highway.

“Not bad for a car that can haul a lot of stuff,” said McKenzie, who identified hauling/moving as one of the primary uses for renting a car.

If the Cleveland and Oberlin collaboration is successful, EcoCity will have more ambitions for the future. Said McKenzie, “we hope to expand to other college campuses around the region,” he said. As is often the case in environmental innovation, Oberlin will be able to say it was in the front of the pack.