Liverpool is to re-launch its car hire scheme, offering thousands of people hassle-free, pay-by-the hour city centre motoring.
The re-establishment of the Liverpool Car Club will offer the increasing number of people living, working and visiting the city centre a low carbon, low cost and more flexible way of getting around.
The Car Club will offer cars for hire by members 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with vehicles parked in convenient locations around the heart of the city. The project forms part of the council’s drive to widen the choices of sustainable travel around Liverpool and reduce congestion.
The council is now beginning the search for an operator for the scheme, and aims to have it up-and-running by the end of the year.
Liverpool City Council’s Cabinet Member for Transport, Councillor Tim Moore, said: “Our city centre is thriving, which means it’s busier than ever. We want to make sure travel is as easy and convenient as possible for people, whether they are attending business meetings, travelling from train and bus stations to their place of work or visiting our many attractions.
“I’m confident the Car Club will be a real success, and will build on the other work we are doing – including our cycle hire scheme – to build sustainable transport into everyday life in Liverpool. It will give more people access to a car, but at the same time will help reduce congestion and pollution by encouraging people to make shorter journeys by car.”
It is expected that the car club scheme will focus on short business trips; trips in conjunction with public transport; and trips made by city centre workers, residents, tourists and students.
It is also hoped that the scheme will have a proportion of electric vehicles for hire and will also offer facilities for charging low-carbon vehicles.
The successful operator will be expected to initially run the car club for three years, and it is expected that the scheme will quickly expand, with more bays, to become a long-term facility for the city.
• The re-launch of Liverpool’s Car Club follows an initial scheme which ran from 2006 to 2009, and which saw 16 bays set up in five city centre areas. The re-launched scheme will see the successful car club operator setting up 14 bays in the following four areas:
– Moorfields (5 bays)
– Old Hall Street (3 bays)
– Brook Street (3 bays)
– Preston Street (3 bays)
