Students will have a new way to travel around campus on Fridays in February.
Starting today, they can catch free ZipCarts rides from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
ZipCarts are energy-efficient carts that hold six passengers. They normally cost $3 per person per ride and provide nighttime transportation throughout downtown Gainesville.
Students can flag down the drivers of the carts and ask for rides, said Justin Root, public relations senior and UF Bateman Team member.
Root said three carts will be used for Free Ride Fridays.
The rides are a part of the UF Bateman Team’s “You + Me = censUS” public relations campaign.
In the Bateman Case Study Competition, UF’s team competes with teams across the nation to create the most effective campaign for the U.S. Census.
Bateman Team members will be driving the ZipCarts, and they hope to talk to students about the importance of completing the census, he said.
Riding the ZipCarts will hopefully give students extra time to complete the census form, Root said.
Root said census data affects local businesses.
When Root met with the co-owners of ZipCarts in the fall, they were applying for a federal grant that they didn’t receive.
If more people fill out the census, the data collected will be more complete and will help estimate the number of possible ZipCarts clients, Root said.
The data would help determine the amount of money that should be awarded to local businesses through grants, Root said.
Ryan Clarke, co-owner of ZipCarts, said partnering with the Bateman Team is a good marketing opportunity.
Clarke said students may be more likely to hitch rides after participating in Free Ride Fridays.
Rachel Wheatley, a nutritio0nal sciences freshman, said she will probably complete the census form and may even hop on a cart.
“If I saw it, and it wasn’t overcrowded with people, I might hitch a ride,” Wheatley said.
