Car sharing service parks up in London

The sharing economy is set to make headway in London's transport system with the introduction of car sharing scheme City Car Club into the Royal Borough of Greenwich.


The scheme, which was recently acquired by Enterprise Rent-A-Car, offers a cost-effective alternative to car ownership; allowing cars and vans to be booked online for as long as members want.

Twenty-seven City Car Club-branded vehicles will be parked in designated bays across the borough, with plans to further expand across Greenwich in the coming months.

Councillor Danny Thorpe said: “Car clubs form an important strand of our efforts to encourage people to look at the whole range of transport options open to them – be it walking, cycling, using public transport, or when needing to use a car, considering whether a car club would suit them. There are huge benefits to being in a car club so I urge residents to consider whether it would work for them.”

With 9,000 members already in London and more than 30,000 across the UK, City Car Club is one of the UK’s leading providers of car sharing for both private and business users.

System revolutionary

London currently has about 140,000 car club members – the second highest number of any city in the world – and forecasts suggest that could increase to 800,000 by 2020. BMW recently got in on the act, forming a partnership with car hire company Sixt to launch its own car sharing service called Drive Now in three other Boroughs.

Car sharing services are just one example of the sharing economy which is disrupting business models and processes across the world. According to sharing economy advocate ‘Love Home Swap’, an estimated 25% of Brits already take part in sharing online, and current global revenues of around £9bn could reach £230bn per year by 2025.

Speaking of the potential to expand the City Car Club service in London, the organisation’s managing director Brian Swallow said: “We will be investing in a major publicity campaign in June to raise awareness of the potential of car sharing in Royal Greenwich, aiming to build up a local membership and deliver all of the sustainability and cost benefits that car clubs and vehicle rental can bring.

“We’re really looking forward to showing the people of the Royal Borough of Greenwich – as well as other club members from around the UK – what we can do for them.”

Luke Nicholls

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