The world’s getting more crowded, and hauling your backside across town can be a pain. Trains come clogged with commuters and buses get snarled up in traffic, so we’re exploring next-gen travel solutions. We bring you, Travel 2.0. In part one we explore a new type of car ownership: car sharing.
Ah, the open road. Except it’s not open, is it? It’s clogged with drivers going nowhere fast, and usually, nowhere far. Sure, you could hop on a bike and zip through the jams, but what if you’ve got more than yourself to transport? Luggage? Other people? You need a next-gen travel solution. Could a new breed of car sharing solve the nation’s problems? Read on to find out.
Car sharing schemes are popping up all over the UK, starting with major towns and cities like London and Oxford. Smaller towns are gradually being included too, as more people switch on to the idea of flexible car ownership.
The idea is simple: pay a joining fee, and then hire a car by the hour, or for days at a time. It’s ultra-convenient, faster than traditional car hire firms, and easier too since shared cars are dotted around town in designated parking spots.
One of the largest car sharing services to come to Britain is Zipcar. We signed up and took one of its cars, a swanky BMW 116 for a spin. The process is astoundingly simple. Bookings for cars can be made over the phone, through the web, or even using the Where app for iPhone.
Once the booking’s made, just trot along to the car, which is always parked in the same place, wave your membership card over the windscreen and it’s wirelessly unlocked and ready to drive. Handy text alerts tell you when your booking is due to expire, and whether the motor you’re driving can be kept for a longer period of time too.
Cheap trip
Each booking includes free ‘mileage’ after which you’ll be charged for distances travelled, but filling up the car with petrol is free, using a chargecard under the driver’s sun visor.
So is it cheaper than hiring a traditional hire car? It depends what you use it for, and for how long, but even our lengthy two day stint cost less than a tenner more than the nearest hire firm, and since Zipcars are dotted around town there’s no need to get a lift or catch a train to pick one up.
We took the Zipcar from London to Leicester and back. If we’d bundled a car-load of people inside, it would’ve been cheaper than individual rail tickets, not to mention faster and more flexible.
Green machine
Of course, by sharing a car you’re reducing the overall cost of ownership. Zipcar quotes its members as saving £450 a month on average compared to owning their own car, but that’s not the only benefit. Zipcar claims to be extremely green, with each of its shared motors taking “15-20 personally-owned vehicles off the road.”
Zipcar also claims its members drive less. Quoting an average of 5,500 miles or less per year for each member, the company reckons its helping to keep over 121 million litres of crude oil in the ground every 12 months.
Is it the future?
Car sharing schemes are definitely a next-gen travel solution. They’re quick, clean and cheap. Zipcar’s yearly membership starts at just £25, and cars can be had for just £3.95 per hour. There are other firms providing the same services too, although prices vary.
Will you ditch your own motor for a shared one? Let us know in our poll below, and check back tomorrow for another solution in our Travel 2.0 series.
