Zipcar to operate Westminster Council car club

Zipcar has secured a deal with Westminster Council that will see the car club specialist operate the council's own car-sharing scheme.

A spokesman for the council confirmed that it is preparing to launch its own Westminster Car Club next month, which is expected to provide members with more than 100 parking bays across central London from which to pick up cars by the end of the year.

He added that Zipcar had secured the contract to operate the scheme after the project was put out to tender.

"The car club is to be owned by the council, and Zipcar will act as the service provider," he said. "We realise there are other car clubs out there, but the difference with this one is that it is operated by the council, so we will be able to offer members extra concessions."

These concessions will include access to a wider range of parking bays than those offered by privately run car clubs and up to an hour of free parking in council car parks when the cars are in use.

The council also hinted that it will aim to undercut private car club operators by offering a "low-rate" annual membership fee of £25, which will be reimbursed via credit that members can use when booking cars on a pay-as-you-drive basis.

The scheme, which is the first of its kind to be run by a local council, is intended to help cut congestion and pollution by providing residents and businesses in central London with an alternative to running their own cars.

If the scheme proves successful, Westminster council has signalled that it aims to increase the number of parking bays available to members to about 400 spaces within four years.

Councillor Danny Chalkley, cabinet member for city management, said the project had the potential to take "hundreds of cars off Westminster's roads".

"Car clubs have already proved hugely successful in other parts of the country and given the current economic climate, it is more important than ever to provide a cost-effective solution to car use in the capital," he added.