Whitman Wheels: Campus Carsharing Program Starts Its Engines
By Bradley Nelson
Photography by Patrick Record
Whitman College has partnered with Sway Mobility to launch a new carsharing program on campus—Whitman Wheels—available to all current Whitman students, faculty and staff.
“We would like to thank the Associated Students of Whitman College for assisting in the funding to help bring this program to campus,” says Justin Rodegerdts, Director of Investments. “Additional thanks to the Facilities Services team for their work to get the electric car chargers installed during an already very busy time on campus.”
How It Works
Whitman Wheels can be accessed via the Sway Mobility app. A whitman.edu email address is required to participate. Please allow a day or two to set up your account. There is a one-time account setup fee of $19.50 plus tax. Sway Mobility will conduct a background check of your driving record before authorizing you to proceed.
Drivers must be at least 18, and drivers under the age of 22 will need to have a valid U.S. driver’s license, at least two years of driving experience and a clean driving record. Detailed instructions are available online.
Once your account is approved, you can choose a car in the app. Two electric cars (Chevrolet Bolts) are stationed in the Harper Joy Theatre parking lot in dedicated parking spaces with their own charging stations. Vehicles are returned here after each use.
Pricing ($10 per hour) includes electricity, insurance and 25 miles of driving per hour.
A More Sustainable Way To Drive
Most cars sit idle for an inefficient amount of time. Carsharing allows multiple drivers to share cars for the few times of the day that they are actually needed, potentially saving money, freeing up parking and putting fewer cars overall on the road.
“Whitman Wheels supports Whitman’s multiple sustainability goals,” says Rodegerdts. “In addition to providing more transportation access options to Whitman community members, we hope that it will also reduce the number of students who feel it is necessary to bring their own cars to campus.”
Infrastructure support for electric vehicles is growing on Whitman’s campus. In tandem with this project, three additional electric vehicle charging stations accessible to the general public were installed in the Harper Joy Theatre parking lot. Whitman also has three charging stations in the Stanton Hall parking lot and additional charging stations to come in the Junior-Senior Village parking lot.