Students without transportation have a reason to rejoice: The Zipcar program has made its way to NIU.

Zipcar is a car-rental service with a focus on convenience and simplicity. Two Zipcars have made it to campus: a Ford Focus and a Ford Escape. On Thursday, Zipcar representatives were at NIU to answer questions from students about the program.

Promotional gifts were also given away at the College Grind in the Holmes Student Center.

To rent a Zipcar a student needs to be at least 18 years old and have a valid driver’s license and a credit or debit card. The cars are available 24/7, with daily and hourly rates.

The rate for the Ford Focus is $8.50 an hour and up to 180 miles per day. The Ford Escape is $9.50 an hour with the same amount of miles per day.

Extra fees may be added if the car is returned late or the student exceeds the mile limit. The rates include gas and insurance.

Students can sign up by using an online registration form on Zipcar’s website. The program’s users must pay a $25 registration fee, and new members will receive a $35 credit toward their first month of driving.

“Students today have access to a wide range of transportation options — including bike sharing, ride sharing, public transit and more. Zipcar complements these services with a convenient, cost-effective and sustainable car sharing solution for a variety of trip types,” according to a release from Zipcar.

Brad Hoey, director of communication and marketing at NIU, said the school noticed the Huskie bus line sometimes wasn’t enough for the students.

“I think there’s been a need for transport and we’ve been looking at ways to provide more,” Hoey said. “I think that parking services looked at Zipcar and said that it was a viable option.”

NIU’s two Zipcar Fords are located at Neptune West along Lucinda Avenue. Hoey said he hopes students will use the program and cars to their advantage.

“It is our goal to get more Zipcars on campus to provide more transportation, so we are hoping that the program gains popularity,” Hoey said.

The cars can help students without other transportation options get to nearby stores.

“I think it’s useful for certain types of weather, like when people don’t want to be outside walking and stuff,” said Tyler Lundquist, senior political science major.

Users can manage their accounts and reserve a Zipcar online or via their cellphones. Users are also supplied with a Zipcard, which will allow the driver to gain entrance into the cars.

“I’ve never had to use it just because I’ve always had a car, but my friends have rented a few,” said senior economics major Danielle Burdick. “They think it’s pretty awesome.”

Burdick said it was good Zipcar is coming to NIU, but two cars for the entire campus would not be sufficient.

The two cars will test the students’ need for the Zipcars so NIU and the program can determine if more should be added.