<p>Has anyone here used this system and if so how did you like it? Or is it worth it to instead bring a car if I only plan to study/stay on campus, buy groceries and go to the convenience store, and hopefully get a tutoring job at the House of tutors?</p>
<p>It’s like 35 bucks for a membership fee (of course they take all your info down, license, insurance, etc.)… </p>
<p>Meh. I had my own car but they did seem pretty useful… if all you plan on doing is going to the grocery store though… you can always go with a friend who has a car (but that will get old fast for your friend lol) or ride the bus theres one that stops near the H-E-B on 41st and Red River. </p>
<p>I support bringing your car though. I mean, yeah. If you’re planning on living on campus, the parking garage prices are INCREDIBLY EXPENSIVE AND OVERFREAKING PRICED! Hah. I mean you want R parking if you want overnight parking at thats really pricey (talking like 800-900 bucks). I moved into W. Campus and now happily pay $120 for my pass.</p>
<p>But it’s all worth it. You can go wherever the heck you want whenever you want and you’re in control! It’s a lot of peace of mind to get off campus sometimes. Just less of a hassel I think. You might only plan on doing those three things, but you’ll be wanting to get out after a while! Explore!</p>
<p>Haha, sorry for the somewhat off-topic post, but I used to work at House of Tutors (well, actually I worked for a different company owned by the same people but they shared the same office). It’s very easy walking distance from campus.</p>
<p>So I fully support Car2go. But here are some tips (though super disorganized). if you are coming to austin for the first time, wait until you get here to sign up! they have times when registering is free. which rocks cuz thats the main fee. (compared to the 12?16? cents a minute while you’re driving it) its a pretty good deal. All the places you mentioned are totally within walking distance. And I didnt have car2go until my 3rd year of college. What it ends up being most convenient for (for me) was when i wanted to go to target/walmart/heb and the people i normally bum rides off of had work to do or had just went the day before as well as picking up people from the airport. and occasionally taking it places that I would normally walk to when I was having a lazy day. The usefulness between any of the locations you mentioned is small because sometimes the closest available car isn’t on the way or is past your destination. Also UT added the other car sharing program, I cant think of the name. There are about 6 vehicles on campus now I think that include a truck that follow a similar pay as you use system. That just got added at the end of last year so I know very few details. But what I would advise is not bringing a car to campus or signing up for a program until you get to school. one reason is the free sign ups and if you end up wishing you had brought a car, then you will probably figure out a way to get it. Parking passes are by month (90% sure) so if you decide in October you want a car instead then you still saved august/september parking costs. </p>
<p>also note to anyone bringing a car but not parking on campus. UT used to have a lot more open to the public spots at 5:45pm, many many many of them now still require a UT permit after 5:45. The N+ (Night time) permits are super useful for bringing things to organization meetings or late night study sessions or any other reason one might be on campus in the evening/night.</p>
<p>ZIP CAR! lol that’s the other car sharing program around UT. </p>
<p>The UT authority is so nazi about parking. Well, the whole city, but whatever.</p>
<p>Good luck, my fellow longhorns.</p>
<p>Look at the monthly costs of actually having your own vehicle.</p>
<p>Monthly payments (unless its paid off): 150-300
Insurance: 75-150
Fuel: 100-200
Maintenance: 25-100 (if you’re lucky)</p>
<p>So that’s 4000-8000 dollars per year.</p>
<p>As a UT-student you get all of the city’s public transportation services completely free, and if driving yourself at times is that important to you, go ahead and do the car2go thing. If you don’t drive it extremely often, your total costs for the year should stay under 1000. </p>
<p>Is that 3000-7000 dollar difference worth it to you? For some people it might be. I know there’s no way in hell I would even consider spending that much for transportation with so many alternatives, especially considering the traffic in Austin.</p>
<p>I’m by no means spoiled, but I never pay my insurance. It’s just something my mom covers. And I mean I don’t know…with those figures, that’s when you end up debating whether to own a car at all. It takes dedication to own and use a car. </p>
<p>I get around traffic pretty easily. One just has to get a feel of the rush hour and know not to run into that. For me it’s the best way to get to work. I couldn’t depend on bus or zip car because I might miss the bus one day, it might be late or full or all those car shares might be in use. A car with your keys in your hands is just a sure thing.</p>
<p>And how far away do you live from home? Consider how nice it is to be able to drive home on occasion without having to deal with a grayhound and stuff. </p>
<p>It’s necessary for me but it can be a luxury for others I guess. For me not having a car around Austin would be really cutting corners!</p>