25,000 members for Streetcar pay as you go car club

(14/02/2008)

Streetcar, the UK’s largest pay as you go car club, rents cars (VW Golfs) by the hour from £3.95. The company is reporting it is gaining momentum across London and five other UK cities. The club has grown dramatically in the past year and now has over 25,000 members who can choose from 500 locations. Membership is predicted to rise to 50,000 by this time next year, and 250,000 by 2012.

It provides a flexible, convenient and cost effective alternative to car ownership. Members book a car online or over the phone, as little as 30 seconds ahead of time, and use remotely activated smartcards to unlock the vehicle, which is typically within three minutes walk of their home. At the end of the journey, the car is returned to a dedicated Streetcar parking space and a travel log is automatically sent to Streetcar HQ.

As well as being a cost effective option, it also has a compelling environment record. Independent research conducted by Transport for London shows that each car club vehicle on the road replaces an average of 20 privately-owned cars. This is because each car has an average of 40 users and, of those, over half chose not to buy (or replace) a car when they join the club. The scheme has already taken at least 10,000 cars off the streets, and this is set to rise to 75,000 by 2012.

Related categories:  Car hire   Volkswagen 

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