Carleton is excited to provide access to HOURCAR, a nonprofit car-sharing service, as a short-term vehicle rental provider. Whether you need to run quick errands around Northfield or plan a day trip off campus, HOURCAR provides convenient, flexible access to a vehicle by the hour or day without the hassle of vehicle ownership.
How it works
In order to set up an HOURCAR account, you must have at least one (1) year of fully licensed driving experience in the calendar year prior to application.
- Download the app to your mobile device.
- In the app, sign up for an account. One-time account activation and approval takes 1–3 business days.
- Pick a plan, see pricing below.
- See car availability or reserve a car up to 6 months in advance.
- Start your trip!
Hub-based vehicles
The HOURCAR vehicles available on campus are part of a “hub” and meant for round-trip travel. The vehicle must be returned back to the Chapel parking lot (C1) at the end of your reservation. HOURCAR vehicles have a minimum rental period of 30 minutes and a maximum rental period of 72 hours.
When you create an account, you’ll also gain access to any “free-float” vehicles in your area, which can be useful when visiting the Twin Cities. These vehicles are ideal for flexible, point-to-point travel.
Where to find the vehicles
HOURCAR vehicles will be located in the Chapel parking lot (C1), taking over the designated spots previously used by Zipcar (right next to the Security vehicles).
Pricing
Once you’ve made an account, a $15 registration fee is automatically charged upon the addition of a payment method.
HOURCAR offers flexible rates depending on how often you drive, with plans starting as low as $9.60–$10.40/hour or $87.60–$94.90/day for monthly members, and pay-as-you-go options starting at $16/hour. All reservations include gas, charging, maintenance, 24/7 access, and insurance.