MADISON, Wis. -- Many Madisonians ditched their cars for bikes this summer as gas prices soared.

But with the wicked winter looming there is another cost-effective option in the downtown area.

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The Community Car is a car-sharing program where members pay a monthly or annual fee to use the car through an on-line reservation system.

The hybrid-cars are currently at three UW campus locations.

"At least 50 percent of the faculty staff use some other form of alternative transportation," said UW Transportation Services director Lance Lunsway. "There's more to it than just doing a bus pass or convincing someone to use their bicycle and car pool. There has to be a diversity of a whole bunch of programs together that really makes us successful."

Community Car memberships start at $15 a month and include gas, insurance, parking and maintenance on the cars.

Check out Community Car