The Edinburgh City Car Club
The Edinburgh City Car Club
The Edinburgh City Car Club was developed by LEEP (now Changeworks) with funding from The City of Edinburgh Council in association with the Department of Transport and the Regions and the Scottish Office (now the Scottish Government). The development work and project management was carried out by LEEP, who acted as consultants to the Council.
With growth rates for car ownership in Edinburgh at twice the national UK average, the scheme was an integral part of the Council's strategy for reducing the impact of traffic on the City.
Trials of the system were completed at the beginning of 1999 with the scheme becoming fully operational in March 1999. Smart Moves Ltd now operates the scheme and is continuing to develop it. To find out more, including how to join, click here Edinburgh City Car Club
Could Changeworks help you to develop a sustainable transport project or policy? Contact us on: 0131 555 4010 or officemanager@changeworks.org.uk Or you can write to us at:
Changeworks
36 Newhaven Road
Edinburgh
EH6 5PY
Edinburgh City Car Club
The Edinburgh Car Club was modelled on existing continental schemes. The aim was to deliver the same degree of flexibility as car ownership without the need to actually own a car - and all the expense and responsibility that incurs.
Pay-as-you-drive car sharing
A range of cars can be hired by the hour by individual private and business users and are provided in a number of on-street and off-street locations or ‘stations’ across the city - the aim is to have a car within a short walk of every member's home.
Cars can be booked over the Internet or using a terminal in one of the cars, either for immediate use or in advance. Members access the cars using a smart card that unlocks the doors - no keys required. The scheme operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It uses state-of-the-art computer and cell phone technology to track all hires and provides a single monthly bill to each user for the car use logged. Potential savings are in the region of £1,400 a year for users driving around 7,000 miles a year.
Data from similar initiatives indicates that one scheme car can permanently displace around five privately-owned vehicles and that personal car use drops significantly while use of public transport increases.
