Potential Bike Sources and the Ongoing Quest to Learn Anything Helpful about Zipcar

The well-meaning operator I reached at the northeastern branch of the Los Angeles Police Department ((213) 485-2563) informed me that no police station is permitted to donate confiscated property to private institutions. She recommended I turn to www.propertyroom.com - a national auctioneering site that manages police confiscations as well as third party items. With a category dedicated to bulk bicycle offers, I was confident this was a practical medium for establishing our initial corral. The prices for bicycles we'd be interested in hover around 10$ a piece. Shipping costs are not trivial - 9.95 per bike - and therefore restrict our pickup locations to Industry City, CA as opposed to the handful of other police hawking hubs throughout the country. Industry is located only about half-an-hour's drive east of Oxy. Each item (or group of items) is accompanied on the site with the following disclaimer: " Bikes sold for parts only. All bikes are in fair condition, have significant wear and may have functional problems. Bikes that are sold "for parts" are sold in an "as is" condition; all sales are final." Obviously I have reservations about purchasing bike's that are theoretically for parts and are non-refundable, but the "in-bulk" advantage of propertyroom.com is an appealing one. Alternative sources for bikes include Craigslist etc., private donations, and those scavenged from campus. Campus Security will be calling me this Monday (9/28) to walk me through the bicycle re-uptake process and give us some numbers.
The other front in our transportation reform effort is the possible implementation of Zipcar on Occidental Campus. Scouring the Zipcar "Universities" section of their website, one will find no shortage of the benefits of a contract with the car sharing company, but little in the way of actual price quotes, insurance policies, or the number of cars recommended for a campus our size. But who cares what it costs as long as we can "...choose your school colors, if you want" - a real option included among things Zipcar provides. Unsatisfied with the details provided on the website, I've left a message with the Zipcar-University relations office in Boston which will hopefully yield a better understanding of what we're dealing with. Also important - is Zipcar a resource that would be used at Oxy? Why would Zipcar availability trump asking a friend to borrow their wheels? I believe that, should Zipcar present an attractive proposal for Occidental, we should survey the student population on campus in order to evaluate whether or not Zipcars would remain parked.