By: Iris St. Meran (original available here)
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — CuseCar, Syracuse’s car sharing organization, has launched a new ambassador program. The Member to Member “Go-Ambassador program” was developed as a way welcome newcomers to their area with a personalized tour of local restaurants, cultural institutions and more.

Speakers in town for the fifth annual symposium on energy in the 21st century were able to test it out Thursday. All hybrid vehicles are used in this green greeting.

“As national and international visitors come to our community as members of CuseCar. They’re welcomed into the city and brought to their destination and it’s just part of a way of welcoming them into our community and telling them of the advantages of being here,” said CuseCar Co-Founder Vita DeMarchi.

“Shared car services are picking up steam all over the country. I’m here from Washington, D.C. I’m a member of the shared car service there and I use their vehicles a lot. It allows my wife and I to have one car instead of two,” said CuseCar user Geoff Anderson.

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Syracuse, New York (WSYR-TV) – Downtown Syracuse Monday unveiled its latest in green initiatives — and it’s yet another incentive for you to go green as well.

The city has designated three parking spaces in downtown for folks who use the CuseCar.

The organization rents out four separate fuel-efficient cars for anyone who wants to use them.

One parking spot is located right in front of City Hall; the others are in two city garages.

On Monday, Mayor Matt Driscoll said the spots are in places to provide CuseCar drivers easy access to buildings, and hopes it will encourage folks to go green.

CuseCar is geared toward college students and families who may not need a car all the time — just once in a while.  Membership so far is limited to students at SUNY ESF, employees of O’Brien and Gere, and members of the Hawley Green Neighborhood Association.

CLICK HERE for more information on the CuseCar program.

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CuseCar Parking Sign. Courtesy of philatsun via Flickr.

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The first of what proponents hope will be 100 cars in the Syracuse area.

CuseCar held its first membership drive Wednesday, Nov. 12, in Alumni (Nifkin) Lounge at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF). Membership in CuseCar is open to SUNY-ESF students, faculty and staff.

CuseCar is a not-for-profit community car sharing organization, with the mission to provide a sustainable transportation program in Onondaga County that will reduce vehicle miles traveled, lower the carbon footprint, improve air quality, and assist in developing a new green energy fuel distribution system for the community.

CuseCar is offered to drivers 18 and up who qualify for membership. There is an annual membership fee of $100, and beyond that, CuseCar drivers pay an hourly and mileage rate for usage only. The hourly rate is $12, with 60 miles free per reservation. CuseCar’s fleet consists of alternatively fueled vehicles, currently comprising the Toyota Prius Hybrid as well as a compressed natural gas vehicle from Honda.

Vita DeMarchi, co-founder of CuseCar and a member of the SUNY-ESF Board of Trustees, has gifted one of the first three Prius CuseCars to ESF for the students, faculty and staff to use. “SUNY-ESF is one of the leaders in creating and implementing sustainability initiatives. It only seemed natural to include ESF as one of the first CuseCar Origination Locations,” DeMarchi said.

As part of the program, CuseCar will have a designated parking space on the SUNY-ESF campus. CuseCar will also have convenient designated parking throughout the city of Syracuse and Onondaga County.

Mike Kelleher, director of renewable energy systems at ESF, said, “SUNY-ESF is proud to be part of the CuseCar program and our campus community will find it to be an asset in improving the efficiency of our transportation system. Walking, biking, mass transit and the CuseCar are all essential elements of our efforts to reduce the fuel use and emissions associated with transportation in our community.”

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