London's car clubs taking on Europe

London is the car club centre of the UK and with membership continuing to thrive is set to lead Europe, the Mayor announced today, as 100,000 Londoners now enjoy access to a car without the financial or environmental cost of owning one.

The capital already leads the country as 84 per cent of the UK’s car club cars are located in London; and since his election the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, and TfL have invested more than £1million on support for car clubs.

Their delivery is now set to move up another gear with the Mayor providing funding which will help see the number of car club bays double in one year. A £500,000 investment will contribute to a total target of 2,000 car club bays installed next year, doubling the number of bays currently in the capital.

Car club members in the capital are finding that by joining up they can avoid the hassle and expense of repairs, servicing and insuring their vehicles. Londoners who drive less than 6,000 miles a year can save up to £3,500 compared to the costs of owning and running their own car. Forty per cent of new members in London sell a car as a result of joining a car club.

Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, said: “Car clubs cut Londoners costs, help reduce congestion and ease pressure on parking. They are a brilliant idea and we must surely have the largest number of users compared to any other European city. Membership is booming and the only possible drawback can be if the previous occupant leaves a Kajagoogoo CD in the stereo."

Boroughs in central London are currently leading the car club craze with a 9,000 strong membership in Islington alone, as well as significant numbers in areas such as Westminster and Camden. But the Mayor’s Office is keen to see them become a feature of the capital’s outer boroughs too.

At a Car Club conference to be held at City Hall on Thursday the Mayor’s transport advisor, Kulveer Ranger, will highlight progress being made towards that aim. He said: “We’re especially keen for Londoners living on the outer areas of our great city to have the opportunity to join clubs. The last 12 months saw bays appear in boroughs like Brent and Merton but Richmond stood out in particular where 100 bays were installed. Our aim now is to encourage as many boroughs as possible to get behind car clubs and we’re delighted that 19 boroughs have applied for TfL funding next year to help them provide the bays, websites and general support that car clubs require.”

Car clubs are also finding themselves at the forefront of the electric and hybrid revolution. Trials of electric and hybrid car club cars are already taking place in Westminster and Camden. Around 680 charging points are expected to be installed in on street and off street car club bays by March 2013. Car clubs contributed to a successful bid by the Mayor to secure £17million of investment in electric vehicle infrastructure for the capital.

Ends

• There are now 100,000 car club members in London, which makes it one of the principal cities for car clubs worldwide.
• Since the 2008 elections, the Mayor and TfL have invested more than a £1m to support the development of car clubs in London. A further £500,000 will be provided in 2010/11.
• 84% of all car club cars in the UK are based in London (1,904 vehicles).
• Car Clubs offer easy access to a vehicle without the hassle and costs associated with ownership (depreciation, insurance, tax, servicing/repairs).
• Car club members who drive less than 6,000 miles a year can save up to £3,500 compared to the cost of private ownership.
• In London 40% of new members sell  a car as a result of joining a car club.
• Vehicles can be booked for as little as half an hour at a time using telephone or internet and are located in dedicated bays and accessed via the members smart card.  Details of all car club vehicles in London and the UK can be found at http://www.carclubs.org.uk/ 
• The Mayor's ambitious plans to make London the electric vehicle capital of Europe are being carried forward with the strong support of car clubs. The Mayor recently confirmed up to £17 million for electric vehicle infrastructure has been secured for London. This will deliver a network of around 7,500 charging points by spring 2013 with 1,600 charge points to be installed over the next twelve months contributing to the delivery of the Mayor's target of 25,000 charge points in London by 2015, with no Londoner more than a mile from a charging point by that time.
• The funding consists of £9.3 million from the Department for Transport, which will join £5.6m provided by Transport for London and £7.6m pledged from a range of leading organisations including car clubs. The London consortium is comprised of EDF Energy, Enterprise rent-a-car, Europcar, Hertz, London boroughs, NCP, Nissan, Sainsbury's, Scottish & Southern Energy, Siemens, SMMT, Streetcar, Tesco, Transport for London and Zipcar. http://www.london.gov.uk/media/press_releases_mayoral/london-secures-%C2%A317-million-funding-uk%E2%80%99s-largest-electric-vehicle-charge

MEDIA ENQUIRIES: Press information is available from Jonathan Edwards at the Mayor’s Press Office on 020 7983 4337 or jonathan.edwards@london.gov.uk (not for publication)

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