Maybe you can't drink, but you now can rent a car

Cruising around Philadelphia in a BMW will no longer be an activity limited to those students who have made it to 21.

PhillyCarShare, a car-sharing service, allows anyone over the age of 18 that chance.

The service, which calls itself the only in the country catering to customers between 18 and 20, allows members to hold keys to a car that they can reserve at any time, or to rent vehicles on a one-time basis.

PhillyCarShare spokeswoman Meegan Denenberg said that the company's ultimate goal is to help Philadelphians find alternative modes of transportation in the city.

"Everyone thinks it's a rite of passage to own a car," Denenberg said. "We're trying to change that perception."

And whether students buy into specific idea or not, they at least like having constant access to a car.

"We've had an unbelievable influx of students signing up from universities," Denenberg said.

For students, it generally costs $7.90 an hour or $56 to use a car for a day.

As part of the effort to appeal to University City, PhillyCarShare is opening new locations, or "pods," in the area from which students can pick up cars.

There are already pods at four locations in University City, and four more are in the works, including one at 40th and Spruce streets and one at 40th and Locust streets.

Additionally, Denenberg said PhillyCarShare employees have recently been circling campus in their cars and passing out gum. The organization also has plans to place posters and flyers around Penn.

Representatives also promoted the service Tuesday on College Green by distributing free food and Ikea gifts. They will return to campus Oct. 9.

College sophomore Erin Chang, who was helping promote PhillyCarShare on College Green Tuesday, said she noticed that many students already have accounts.

"I would definitely do it if I had a driver's license," she said, adding that the service is affordable for the general student population.

Denenberg said a group of Penn Engineering students conducted a market study for the service last year, concluding that students wanted simpler pricing options.

As a result, PhillyCarShare eliminated application and membership fees last summer, allowing students to pay only for the mileage and time they use the car, Denenberg said.

The company's mission fits into a larger goal throughout Philadelphia, which is to "remove single-occupancy vehicles from the road," said Emily Linn, program director of the Clean Air Council, a state non-profit advocacy group.

Though Linn did not know if services like PhillyCarShare have reduced city air pollution, she said car sharing is a step in the right direction.

"There is definitely evidence that there are people choosing to go the PhillyCarShare route over buying a new car," she said.

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