BY JACK JOHANNESSEN, Staff Reporter

The Central board of directors is working to bring a car rental service to Central in 2014.

“They offer the rental cars to people who are 18 or older, which is different from typical rental car services where you have to be 25 or older,” said Bryan Elliott, president of the Associated Students of Central Washington University Board of Directors (ASCWU-BOD).

The ASCWU-BOD passed a resolution to support establishing Zipcar at Central.

Central’s board of directors supports that decision as, but there are conditions, according to Elliott.

Zipcar wants to be sure it is the only company providing its service in a given area.

One of the stipulations for Zipcar, there can be no direct competition, so there can be no Central Washington University or Ellensburg city services similar to Zipcar, according to Elliott.

Elliot met with Ron Cridlebaugh, director of economic development at the  Ellensburg chamber of commerce.

Cridlebaugh checked with local businesses to ensure they did not have an interest in providing similar services like Zipcar’s.

Other challenges to Zipcar’s arrival at Central include liability and insurance issues, according to Elliott.

“I think as long as people were responsible, it would be a good way to deal with parking,” Elissa Smith, a junior elementary education major said.

According to Smith, Zipcar at Central would be convenient and helpful if a student needed to rent a car in an emergency or needs groceries. Smith was not allowed to have her own car when she was at Western.

According to Milo Castilleja, freshman film and video studies major, Zipcar would be useful for students who do not have a vehicle on campus but need transportation.

Castilleja also thought the service could help to encourage greater attendance at Central.

“I think it would be a pretty cool service,” Castilleja said.

“It’s convenient if you are going to Seattle or something,” Rylan Spencer, a senior economics major, said.

Spencer said he can walk or ride a bike around Ellensburg, and doesn’t see the point in renting a car just to walk around Ellensburg.

“Ellensburg is an easy town to walk around,” Spencer said.

According to Morgen Cheng, a junior finance and supply chain management major, he would not want to be a member of Zipcar to rent a vehicle but thinks it would be nice for those who do not have a car.

If Zipcar is brought to Central, Zipcar would start by providing two cars available for students to rent, and there would be a wait list for people who want to rent a vehicle.

If demand is higher than expected for car rentals, Zipcar is able to provide the university with more cars, according to Elliott.

One of the two initial vehicles would be a larger car or SUV.

Having at least one SUV is appropriate for Ellensburg weather conditions and local activities such as snow and hiking, according to Elliott.