Selective driving

There are too many cars on our roads and you can get to most places by bus or train if you put a bit of effort in – but there are also times when having your own four wheels comes in very, very handy. So how can you get the best of both worlds and use a car only when you need it, without having to worry about parking or petrol? PQ talks to James Finlayson, MD of City Car Club, about why car clubs are the only logical answer for cleaner cities and healthier bank balances.

How does it work?

If you haven’t already come across it, City Car Club lets its members share the cars in its fleet, so you get the benefits of multiple car ownership without the hassle or the expense. After joining online, you’re issued with a membership card that acts as your car key; you book a car near you (they’re never far away – City Car Club has over 750 vehicles in 17 cities from Edinburgh down to Brighton and across to Cardiff) then find it, swipe your card on the dashboard and the car’s unlocked and ready to use. The car’s then yours to drive anywhere you want. City Car Club covers fuel costs (you pay for petrol using a card in the glove box) and, when you’ve finished your trip, you simply return to the City Car Club parking space you picked it up from before swiping out again. City Car Club then works out your mileage and sends you an invoice.

City Car Club covers the insurance, servicing, MOTs and even fuel; annual membership costs £60 (a pretty hefty saving on most car insurance premiums) and then you just pay for the time you use the car. There’s a real mix of vehicles in the fleet; smaller Toyota Aygos are perfect for short city trips and seven-seaters and vans are available if you’re moving house or travelling in groups. The cheapest cars cost £4.95 an hour or £39.50 per day.

Savings

According to the European Commission, car ownership only becomes more cost-effective than car sharing if your annual mileage exceeds 10,000km. The savings vary, but City Car Club’s independent regulator would say membership can save you up to £3,600 a year. ‘I’ve spoken with younger drivers who have saved almost half of this just from not having to pay huge insurance premiums’, says James. ‘It’s important to recognise the time factor, too – who really wants the hassle of servicing, cleaning and ensuring their car passes an MOT? We’re also selective about our fleet; on average, our vehicles’ carbon emissions are 33% lower than the average UK car’s. Where possible, we select hybrid vehicles which run at zero CO2/km at low speeds – and we’ve just added pure electric cars to the fleet.’

While the savings are attractive, City Car Club also draws attention to the cost of driving – and its members tend to use cars less as a result. ‘The costs of using our service are far more visible than when you own your own car,’ says James, ‘so our members tend to use public transport wherever possible. The result is a much smaller carbon footprint for each journey.’ Car club members tend to walk, cycle and use public transport more than non-members, providing wider benefits to the community, too. The cities City Car Club operate in see reductions in congestion, parking pressures and carbon emissions, resulting in cleaner air.