Newbury 'pay-as-you-go' car club to start soon

Cars can be rented by the hour from locations across the town

PLANS to create a pay-as-you-go ‘car club’ scheme in Newbury have moved a step closer.

The scheme, which sees people rent cars by the hour from a council-appointed provider, aims to reduce congestion and pollution in the town and will cost £91,000 to implement.

This will be funded through a £50,000 grant from the Department for Transport and £41,000 in developer contributions.

The cars will be available from designated locations across the town, with the first three cars available from Eight Bells car park, Oddfellows Road, and West Street.

Two additional vehicles will be available from the Kennet Shopping centre and Boundary Road in March.

West Berkshire Council says that for drivers doing less than 6,000 miles a year it can be cheaper to join a car club than own a car, as you only pay when you drive and don’t have to worry about insurance, MOT and servicing costs.

The first three cars arrived at the end of January, with two more – including a fully-electric Renault Zoe – being launched in March.

Membership of the club costs a one-off joining fee of £25, and the monthly minimum spend of £5, is effectively not paid when a car is hired once per month.

Cars can be booked for any amount of time from just 30 minutes to several days.

In a leaflet on the scheme, published by West Berkshire Council, it says: “Members typically drive fewer miles than car owners, which in turn could help to reduce congestion and improve air quality on local roads in Newbury as well as reducing levels of locally-produced carbon emissions.

“Major new developments, such as the Newbury Racecourse, include (or will be required to include) provision of a car club.

“It therefore makes sense for the council to work with the racecourse, and other developers in the future, to establish a car club that will benefit the whole of Newbury.”

Members of the car club will be able to book the car club car online or by phone with as little as one minute’s notice.

They will be given a smart card which opens the car when they arrive for their booking.

The council says that the typical cost of borrowing a car is about £4.50 per hour, plus 21p per mile driven.

This includes all fuel, insurance, tax, MOT, servicing, maintenance, breakdown cover and cleaning.

Discounted daily and weekend rates are also available.

A fuel card is provided in case members need to refuel, with the car club provider picking up the bill.

Last year the council sent out ‘travel plans’ to thousands of residents’ in south Newbury offering them incentives for ditching the car in favour of public transport.