New Enterprise Rent-A-Car program gives college students hourly rentals

ST. LOUIS -- College students share dorm rooms, bathrooms and books. Now they can share rental cars by the hour.

Enterprise Rent-A-Car is launching a new program this week that lets Washington University students rent cars on an hourly basis. The so-called "WeCar" program sets six cars at strategic points around campus. Customers who sign up for the program can hop in and take the cars for a few hours at a time, parking them back at an appointed spot for the next renter to use.

Enterprise already runs hourly rental programs in urban areas like New York City and Portland, Ore., said spokeswoman Lisa Martini. Enterprise also runs a group rental at Google Inc. headquarters in Mountain View, Calif. The Washington University program is the first of its kind on a college campus, and could be a model for other universities.

"This is kind of a newer market for us," Martini said. "We're going to look at those opportunities and see where there's a need."

Final details are being worked out, and the first car rentals should begin by Monday, Martini said. Rentals cost between $12 and $15 an hour, depending on the type of car (sport utility vehicles are at the high end). Each rental allows 200 miles of travel. Customers pick up and return the vehicles at spots with special green signs -- the signature color for Enterprise.

Enterprise already rents cars by the hour at some college campuses. But the WeCar program is the first where cars are left alone and can be rented without using a sales clerk.

The move into hourly rentals is a natural extension for Enterprise's business model. The Clayton, Mo.-based firm is the largest vehicle rental company in the country, with numerous locations in neighborhoods and commercial strips. While other firms have focused on renting cars at airports, Enterprise rents to families who might need a loaner for a weekend vacation, those with cars in the shop, or someone who needs a truck for a weekend of gardening work.

At Washington University, about 4,000 vehicles are parked at the campus daily as students, faculty and staff arrive, said Lisa Underwood, manager of parking and transpiration. While there are 5,000 parking spaces, many are far-flung, which makes it tough to find a spot at busy areas like the student bookstore.

The school hands out free bus passes to students and faculty alike, but many hesitate to use it because they might have to leave unexpectedly during the day for an emergency or last-minute appointment, Underwood said.

"What's better is if we can give people more tools to use so they can leave their cars at home," Underwood said.

To rent a car, customers must fist sign up for a WeCar account on the Internet, said Steve Salemi, group rental manager at Enterprise.

Members get a PIN code and a small device in the mail that is about the size of a quarter. That device can be held over a panel in a WeCar's windshield, unlocking the doors. Customers must first make a reservation online, Salemi said. The reservations can be made minutes in advance -- or up to a year ahead of time.

Once inside the car, customers find a keypad inside the glove compartment. After customers type in a brief code that came with the reservation, the thick metal keypad releases the car key that is locked inside. If someone breaks into the car or doesn't have a reservation, the key would be inaccessible, Salemi said.

Enterprise won't clean the cars after each use, although an employee will troll the campus a couple of times a day to clean them out. If a customer cleans a car that's dirty when he or she arrives, that customer gets a small credit put toward the account, Salemi said.

"It's kind of a communal effort," he said. "We're asking members to think of everyone else when they're driving."

Enterprise is a privately owned firm and does not release its annual profit figures. The family of founder Jack Taylor owns the company, along with rental car brands National and Alamo. Enterprise booked roughly $9.5 billion in revenue during 2007.