Working with the Coalition
Over the past few months, as part of our engagement with the coalition government, Carplus has been involved in three ‘roundtables’ with the new local and regional transport minister, Norman Baker MP.
In preparing for the car clubs roundtable Carplus consulted operators, and alongside four of the largest operators presented the key issues that would assist car club development. Carplus also helped to facilitate a separate roundtable on journey sharing, which was attended by four of the main car sharing service providers. In addition to these, Carplus has been involved in a roundtable on end-to-end journeys with bus and train operators, which will continue to look at integration and journey information issues.
We at Carplus have been pleased to discover that the minister, Norman Baker, recognises the strategic contribution of car clubs and journey sharing to key national policies, such as carbon reduction. We are also pleased that this received attention in the recent DfT White Paper on Local Transport.
Behavioural Change and the RAC Foundation
The RAC Foundation has also run two roundtables on key transport issues for the new government. The first, on the alternatives to car ownership, discussed a draft version of new research that looked at the development of car clubs and journey sharing and its potential impact over this decade. The final version will be published sometime this year. The second roundtable, on the future market for electric vehicles, also discussed potential behavioural shifts - from owning a car to the increased use of mobility services - opening the way for the use of electric vehicles as pool cars and in car clubs.
Funding for Car Clubs available in England
On January 19th, the DfT published its White Paper on Local Transport and released the application guidance for the new Local Sustainable Transport Fund (LSTF). The LSTF presents valuable opportunities for regional car club development and Carplus will be providing advice and guidance on these to selected local authorities in England (outside London). We now know there is scope to develop a regional car club programme, if authorities are willing to work together, without losing the opportunity to make a general bid.
Support is available
Carplus can assist officers and members with the possible impacts of the development or expansion of a car club – and the likely costs. Working with a small pool of expert advisers on car club market analysis and implementation drawn from at least four leading consultancies, Carplus will be offering a range of options to local authorities. These include free advice for Carplus member authorities, an in-house briefing and on-going support with developing a bid. These will be complemented by two or three regional workshops, free to Carplus members.
Streetcar Merges with Zipcar
By the end of January, staff from Zipcar will be settling into Streetcar’s offices in Wimbledon. This move signifies the first stage in the implementation of the merger of two operations, having received long awaited* approval from the Competition Commission in December. Carplus will include news of how this will impact on members and interested observers in our next issue.
Further Changes in 2011
The impact on the car club sector of the newly enlarged Zipcar/Streetcar operation is hard to predict, but key stakeholders feel that the new combined company will have some short term advantages over its competitors, particularly as its London network is so extensive. However, as City Car Club is now the official operator in Cardiff and Glasgow, they have the most extensive UK network outside London.
...and beyond
As discussed at the Carplus AGM in November, the next few years are expected to herald new entrants to the market, which may come from several directions including European car operators, car manufacturers and rental companies. Existing operators are keen to see a closer tie-up on marketing and service provision with the major transport operators, which may strengthen the appeal of car clubs to the urban market.
*The take over by Zipcar of Streetcar, the largest operator in Britain, commenced in April 2010 but was delayed for 8 months when the Office of Fair Trading referred the move to the Competition Commission.
|
