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Edinburgh CityCarClub is the flagship car club in the UK. The decision to set up the club reflected both local and national transport policy: the aim was to tackle congestion, pollution and parking pressures in the city, while recognising the importance of the car. It was designed as a pilot project, and received funding of £250,000 from the City of Edinburgh and the (then) DETR and Scottish Office. This covered project set up costs, in-car telematics, provision of designated on street parking bays and monitoring and evaluation of the project.
The club was not expected to make a profit for at least three years, so its operation was handed over to a private company, Budget Rent-a-Car, who would be able to build on the infrastructure to expand to other cities. The club was launched in March 1999 with 6 cars at 4 locations in one area of Edinburgh. In April 2000 a further 19 cars were added to the fleet at locations across the city. Membership reached a peak of 170 by December 2000, but three months later Budget pulled out; their Europe-wide financial losses meant that they could no longer support the car club.
Relaunch of
the club
Edinburgh
City Council, however, was still committed to the club; it was
relaunched in November 2001 with further funding of £40,000 for
promotion and marketing. Taking note of conclusions drawn from the
evaluation of the pilot project, new operators CityCarClub set
up a local office with a full time project manager, installed new
purpose-designed technology in the cars, and offered an internet
booking option.
Building on the previous membership, the club relaunched with 55 members; the 9 cars in the fleet were leased and insured through the Carplus leasing programme. Since then, growth of the club has been steady, expanding into new areas as there is sufficient demand; in June 2005, the club was supporting 28 cars and 522 members. The number of cars has increased with new bays opening in the City Centre, New Town, Grange and Newhaven areas. Members have a voice in the running of the club through regular meetings and an e-mail group.
Corporate
membership
CityCarClub has been pursuing corporate membership to ensure the viability
of the club. The City Council has signed up and uses 9 car club vehicles as pool cars. 184 members of
staff use the cars during office hours, Monday to Friday. Small businesses
and self-employed people have also recognised the benefits of using
club cars for business trips
Operational
issues
The
cars are fitted out with technology from Drive-IT, Sweden, to add to
the security of the vehicles and convenience of use. Access to the
cars is by Smartcard, which only allows entry to a member during a
pre-booked period. A computer terminal in the car interfaces with
the booking software, allowing members to make or extend bookings,
as well as enabling automation of invoicing. Bookings, which can
also be made by phone or internet, are by the hour, day or weekend.
Members can make longer bookings at a preferential rate from
Vauxhall Rental.
Members have reciprocal membership of other City Car Clubs around the UK, giving them the option of using public transport for longer journeys while still having access to a car at their destination.
Member Profiles
City of Edinburgh Council
“It makes economic sense: it costs less than leasing pool cars, and the car club looks after the maintenance of the vehicles.”
The City Council has is shown its commitment to the car club by joining as a corporate member: nine cars are block-booked as pool cars during working hours, and are covered by Council insurance during this period. The arrangement has proved to be very successful, especially the intranet booking system that frees the Council of any administration responsibilities. The cars, which are parked at designated bays at the Council Offices are available to club members at evenings and weekends.
Alister and Robert (ages 42 and 8)
“It’s a lifestyle decision…we wanted to invest in something local”
Where Alister Hamilton and his family are concerned, the need for transportation has increased as his three young sons have grown. However, the Hamiltons were keen to avoid buying a car, which would sit unused in the driveway the majority of the time. The car club was the perfect solution; they simply make a booking in advance in order to drop the boys at friend’s parties, for family days out, or for trips to the DIY store. The three boys each carrying their own car seats to the car is a frequent sight in their neighbourhood!
Anne,
mid 60s
“I did my sums and it saves me money on tax and insurance”
For Anne, a retired Edinburgh resident, the financial incentive of the car club was what persuaded her to give up her private car and become a member. She prefers to book the Corsa and enjoys the convenience of having a specially designated bay right outside her house. “It’s a safety thing when coming home late at night,” she says.
Craig, age 30
“I don’t need to go on site often enough to justify a company car”
Craig is an engineer whose offices are based in the Sciennes area of Edinburgh. Two or three times each week he needs to travel to sites around the city for work purposes and due to the shortage of parking in the area, he previously had to pay out for a taxi. Craig now uses the car club car and finds having a specially-designated bay just a few minutes walk from his office extremely convenient. He simply picks up the car from it’s bay, just a few minutes walk from his office, loads his equipment into the boot and is ready to go. For Craig there is also an extra advantage in being a car club member “My friends are impressed that I have a brand new car!” he says.
Contacts
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Operator: City Car Club |
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Drive-IT in-car technology: email Cybit |
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