OSU-Cascades has secured two Zipcars for its new Bend campus. The cars will be available for use by students, staff and the general public.

The car-sharing service allows users to rent a Zipcar for as little as an hour at a time. Students and staff will pay $15 for a one-year Zipcar membership, and $7.50 an hour or $69 a day to use the vehicles. Gas, insurance and up to 180 miles of driving per day are included in the cost. Rates are higher for community members and can be found on www.zipcar.com.

The two cars, a Ford Focus (named “Freefall” by Zipcar) and a Ford Escape (named “Equinox”), will be parked in two designated parking spots on campus. Smartphone users can use the Zipcar app to reserve a vehicle, lock it and unlock it, and sound the horn to help locate it.

The vehicles are part of OSU-Cascades’ efforts to encourage students and staff to use alternative forms of transportation.

The new 10-acre campus on SW Century Drive was designed to serve around 1,900 students with about 300 parking spaces. Although the school’s dorm is not open yet, students who will live in university housing when it opens in the winter are not allowed to keep a car on campus, and all students and staff are being asked to use public transit or alternative means of transportation.

Last week, university officials papered dozens of vehicles parked on public streets near the campus with fliers urging alternate transportation.

— Reporter: 541-383-0387, shammers@bendbulletin.com