Liverpool is welcoming a new pay-as-you-drive vehicle as part of the development of the city’s innovative car club scheme.
The expansion of the scheme, run by City Car Club, comes just after it celebrated an encouraging 12 months since its launch. The introduction of a new vehicle has been announced to cater for the increasing number of car club members within the city. There are already more than 200 City Car Club members in Liverpool using seven low emissions vehicles.
From Wednesday 26 November a brand new Vauxhall Corsa located at a new bay in Duke Street, will be available for use for Car Club members .The new location will benefit those living and working in this part of the city, which is a short walk from Liverpool ONE Shopping Centre and just a stone’s throw from the city’s iconic Baltic Triangle.
Managing Director of City Car Club, James Finlayson said “When we launched in the city we were aware that Liverpool City Council, like many authorities across the country, wanted to proactively tackle issues surrounding city centre parking and increasing congestion. It’s great to see the positive impact our car club has had in these concerns. We’re hoping that the arrival of the new vehicle on Duke Street will see this figure increase as more people are able to experience the benefits of car clubs for themselves.”
The popularity of City Car Club not only stems from its eco-friendly credentials, but its ability to save members considerable amounts of money. This is due to the fact that as a member you only incur a cost when actually using the vehicles. Hourly rentals fees then start from just £3.45 and cover insurance, tax, fuel, servicing and a host of other motoring expenses.
Councillor Malcolm Kennedy, Liverpool city council cabinet member for regeneration and transport , praised the impact of City Car Club in the city:
“City Car Club has proved to be an intelligent way to cut costs and reduce the environmental impact of motoring in our city. The scheme compliments Liverpool’s existing transport infrastructure, and the new bay on Duke Street offers local residents and businesses a mix and match approach to getting around the city. I very much hope we can build on the good work of the past year and providing residents and businesses with better access to car club vehicles is a great start.”
The addition of the new vehicle reinforces Liverpool City Councils ambition to emulate the success that City Car Club has had in 16 other cities across the UK. The progress of sustainable transport projects like the car club will then play a large part in helping the city reach its air quality objectives by reducing congestion and levels of CO2 emissions.
Fact file about the Car Club
• City Car Club operates in 17 cities across the UK including Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, London and Edinburgh.
• The City Car Club fleet has more than 830 vehicles, each with their own designated bays located close to where you live, work or study.
• City Car Club offer a range of vehicles from small city cars, to estate cars, 7 seat vehicles and even vans.
• There are currently more than 30,000 City Car Club members throughout the UK.
• Standard annual membership costs just £60 and includes access to all vehicles across the country, comprehensive insurance, tax, MOTs, servicing, cleaning, fuel, breakdown cover, plus 24/7 online booking and member support.
• A recent study by Carplus, the UK’s regulatory body for car clubs, found that people who drive 6000 miles or less a year could save up to £3500 annually with the car club.
• City Car Club also have additional membership plans which include:
o Enhance (£20/month) – members who regularly use the service can benefit from reduced hourly and daily rental rates.
o Protect (£15/month) – members can reduce their insurance excess from £750 to just £100.
o Under 22 (£6/month) – Young drivers between 19 and 22 can now use the service.
o Van only (£20/annually) – For those who just want to utilise City Car Club’s fleet of vans.
o More information can be found at http://www.citycarclub.co.uk/about/what-does-it-cost/personal
• Annual memberships for businesses with 1-4 drivers cost £25 per driver and just £10 per driver for those with more than 4 drivers. More information can be found at http://www.citycarclub.co.uk/about/what-does-it-cost/business
• Rental rates start from just £4.95 an hour and £25 a day (special rate vehicles). Different hourly and daily rental rates do apply when factoring in the above membership plans.
• Vehicles are available 24/7/365 and members can book the vehicles by phone, online or using the intuitive iPhone app for as little as 30 minutes or as long as they want.
• City Car Club vehicles in Liverpool are based at:
o Old Haymarket Street (two cars)
o Victoria Street Car Park (one car)
o Moorfields (two cars)
o Brook Street (one car)
o Old Hall Street (one car)
o Duke Street (one car)
o More information can be found at http://www.citycarclub.co.uk/locations/liverpool-car-hire
• A full list of City Car Club vehicles nationwide can be found at http://www.citycarclub.co.uk/locations
