Fourteen students have already begun the application process for the Enterprise Rent-a-Car WeCar program, which debuted at Biola this semester.

Biola faculty involved in launching the program worked with WeCar to lower the typical rental age restrictions for students 18-21 years old. International students with International Driving Permits or valid driver's licenses from their home countries may also apply for WeCar membership.

The cost of the program includes a one-time $20 fee and $25 annual membership dues. Additionally, the cost is $8/hr for access to the Ford Focus parked on campus, and $9/hr for the Toyota Prius. Parked in Lot H near the bookstore, the cars will be featured on Wednesdays this month at a weekly WeCar tent. The program also features daily and overnight rates for extended trips. Rates cover all gas costs and the first 200 miles.

Currently, 14 people from Biola are going through the WeCar membership process.

"We are encouraged by that number, since we just started the program on move-in day this fall," said Donald Sims, Senior Director of Auxiliary Services.

Sims said he hopes students without vehicles on campus will use WeCar to access off-campus events and to attend necessary meetings or accomplish errands without the hassle of begging for rides. While only registered members of the WeCar program may actually drive the vehicle, students could potentially share the rental cost if traveling as a group, suggested Sims.

First-year Biola student, Lindsey Grafft, said she sees how the new program could be useful.

"It's nice to have as a fallback option for quick errands and Walmart runs," Grafft stated, "but I would probably find another source of transportation for day trips to Disneyland."

Grafft does not own a vehicle on campus and cited affordability as the determining factor in whether or not she would enroll in the WeCar program.

The land-locked and cash-strapped student population are not the only ones weighing the options of car sharing. Assistant Professor, School of Arts and Sciences, Mark McReynolds was one of the program's first members on the campus. “I think [the program] is really cool," he said, summarizing his primary reason for joining WeCar.

With only one car between his wife and him, McReynolds calculated his costs of renting a second car to be cheaper than owning one. For him, the benefits outweighed the potential inconveniences of sharing access to a vehicle with the Biola community.

McReynolds recently relocated from William Jessup University in Northern California and joined Biola faculty in the new Environmental Science department. The Environmental Science major focuses on the Christian's response to stewardship of God's earth and its resources. McReynolds said he sees his enrollment in the WeCar program as consistent with his personal commitment to caring for God's creation–– a chance to practice what he preaches.

This commitment to environmental sustainability has united itself with the driving force behind WeCar. The program is more than just another mode of transportation, suggested Lisa Martini, spokeswoman for Enterprise Rent-a-Car and WeCar.

"[WeCar] removes cars from the road and broadens the horizons of sustainability and Green Transportation on the college campus,” said Martini.

In taking care of the environment, however, students are also asked to take care of their rental cars.

Enrollment in the program offers the state-sanctioned minimum coverage of liability insurance. Drivers are, nevertheless, required to report all instances of damage. The program relies heavily on the honor system. Members are asked to leave the car in the same or better condition than they found it; however, WeCar coordinates routine maintenance and cleaning.

"If you don't document damage, you're going to be the one responsible if the next person does," said Sims.

Noting the communal aspect of the car-share program, Sims indicated that it’s an opportunity for those involved to "take care of your neighbor."